Known as "The Biggles Biplane," this replica of a WWI-vintage was built for a film which was never made.
This flying replica of a First World War Royal Aircraft Factory (RAF) was first built in the 1960's to star in a film about the legendary fictional pilot Biggles, which in the event was never made. It was shipped to the USA where it crashed in 1977, and the wreckage spent 25 years in storage. Brought back to the UK in 2005 by the son of its original builder, it was re-built over a 6-year period and made its first post-restoration flight on 10 May 2011. In 1912, with the First World War looming, the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough was tasked with creating Britain’s first-ever military aeroplane. Early versions of the entered squadron service well before the war, and it was the most numerous type to fly to France with the Royal Flying Corps when hostilities began in August 1914. Designed with artillery observation in mind, it was the most stable aeroplane ever built, a virtue which became its downfall when the first German fighter aircraft were developed. Hopelessly outclassed, the was dubbed "Fokker Fodder" and its continued use caused a public outcry and national scandal in Britain, with claims in Parliament that its aircrews were being sent up to be "murdered, not killed". Nevertheless it continued in service until after the end of the war, mainly in supporting roles such as submarine spotting and training, being progressively withdrawn from front-line service from 1917. The "Biggles Biplane" is based at Sywell, Northants, England, but is pictured approaching to land at the Shuttleworth Trust, Old Warden, Bedfordshire.
Size: 4272px × 2848px
Location: Shutteworth Trust, Old Warden, Bedfordshire, England
Photo credit: © Roger Goodwin / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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