Beardmore WB.I

In 1916, G. Tilghman Richards, who had just been appointed as the chief designer of the aviation department for the Scottish shipbuilding company William Beardmore, created his inaugural aircraft for Beardmore, the W.B.1.

This aircraft was envisioned as a single-engine bomber for the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), designed to execute long gliding attacks for surprise purposes.

It featured a three-bay biplane structure with wings of long span and high aspect ratio, which were notably staggered.

Equipped with a 230 hp (172 kW) BHP engine, it took its first flight in early 1917.

The W.B.1 was delivered to the RNAS at Cranwell on June 8, 1917, for evaluation.

However, by that time, the larger and more advanced Handley Page O/100 was already in production, leading to the rejection of the W.B.1 by the RNAS.

Specifications

Crew

1

Length

32 ft 10 in (10.01 m)

Wingspan

61 ft 6 in (18.75 m)

Height

14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)

Wing area

796 sq ft (74.0 m2)

Empty weight

3,410 lb (1,550 kg)

Gross weight

5,600 lb (2,545 kg)

Powerplant

1 × Sunbeam or Beardmore Adriatic,

230 hp (172 kW)

Performance

Maximum speed

91 mph (147 km/h, 79 kn)

Endurance

7.3 hours

Armament

One .303 in Lewis gun on rear cockpit

660 lb (300 kg) bombs.

Sources

Aircraft Colour Profile by Bob Pearson.

The British Fighter since 1912-F K Mason.

Beardmore Aircraft of WWI-C A Owers.

British Prototype Aircraft-R Sturtivant.

Beardmore Aviation 1913-1930-A Mackay.