| Air Department | |
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HW100 - 45000
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Air Department Air Department Department overview Formed - 1910 Dissolved - 1920 Superseding agency - Air Section Jurisdiction - Government of the United Kingdom Headquarters - Admiralty Building, Whitehall, London Parent department - Admiralty The Air Department of the British Admiralty (later succeeded by the Air Section and the Air Division) was established prior to World War I by Winston Churchill to administer the Royal Naval Air Service. History In 1908, the British government had recognised that the use of aircraft for military and naval purposes should be explored. To this end, the Prime Minister, H. H. Asquith, approved the formation of an "Advisory Committee for Aeronautics" and an "Aerial Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence". Both committees were composed of politicians, army officers and Royal Navy officers. The Air Department was established within the Admiralty in 1910 and had the initial responsibility of building an airship. By 1911 it expanded its activities to heavier-than-air machines. In early 1912 it became jointly responsible with the Directorate of Military Aeronautics for the Royal Flying Corps, which had separate military and naval wings. After prolonged discussion on the Committee of Imperial Defence, the Royal Flying Corps was constituted by Royal Warrant on 13 April 1912. It absorbed the nascent naval air detachment and also the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers. It consisted of two wings: a Military Wing and a Naval Wing. In the summer of 1912, in recognition of the air branch's expansion, Captain Murray Sueter was appointed Director of the newly formed Air Department at the Admiralty. Sueter's remit as outlined in September 1912 stated that he was responsible to the Admiralty for "all matters connected with the Naval Air Service". The department's function was to foster naval aviation developments and later to oversee the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Its first director was Captain Murray Sueter. In 1915, with the growth of the Naval Air Service, the position of Director of the Air Department was abolished and replaced by that of Director of the Air Service. This new post was a flag officer appointment and the first Director was Rear-Admiral Charles Vaughan-Lee. In July 1914 the naval wing became a separate service known as the Royal Naval Air Service, under the sole control of the Air Department. When World War I started the RNAS became responsible for co-operation with the Navy, for the bombing of all naval targets at sea and in ports. Originally, British naval aviation came under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief, The Nore. In February 1915, the RNAS was placed under the command of the Director of the Air Department (Captain Murray Sueter), although disciplinary powers over RNAS personnel were not granted to the Director. In July 1915 a further reorganization occurred when the post of Director of the Air Department was abolished and replaced with that of the Director of the Air Service (Rear-Admiral Charles Vaughan-Lee). In January 1918 control of the (RNAS), excluding airships and balloons, were the responsibility of the Director of Naval Construction as early as 1916 and which the Admiralty retained until 1919, passed to the Air Ministry in April 1918 following re-structuring it was merged with the RFC as the Royal Air Force. The Admiralty maintained control of its aircraft carriers naval operations at sea, and naval officers however its personnel transferred to the (RAF) for training and service. In 1920 the air department was renamed the Air Section of the Admiralty Naval Staff which in turn was renamed the Air Division in 1924. Directors The Director of the Air Department (D.A.D.) was a position in the Admiralty from 1912 to 1915 succeeded by the Director of the Air Service until 1917, The Director was responsible to the Board of Admiralty on aviation issues, and administered the Admiralty Air Department. - Commodore Murray F. Sueter, 1912-1915. - Rear-Admiral Charles Vaughan-Lee, 1915-1917. Aircraft design and production The Air Department produced a few of its own designs for aircraft between 1915 and but these were built by established external aircraft manufacturers - AD Flying Boat - built by Supermarine - AD Navyplane - built by Supermarine - AD Scout - built by Blackburn and by Hewlett and Blondeau - AD Seaplane Type 1000 - built by J. Samuel White AD Flying Boat AD Flying Boat Role - Patrol Flying boat/Civil Transport Manufacturer - Pemberton-Billing Ltd. (later Supermarine Aviation Works) Designer - Linton Hope First flight - 1916 Primary user - Royal Navy Number built - 27 Developed into - Supermarine Baby The AD Flying Boat was designed by the British Admiralty's Air Department to serve as a patrol aircraft that could operate in conjunction with Royal Navy warships. Intended for use during the First World War, production of the aircraft was terminated as the end of the war came into sight, and the type saw little operational use. A number were repurchased after the end of the war by Supermarine Aviation and rebuilt as civil transports, becoming known as the Supermarine Channel. Design and development Designed in 1915 by the British yacht designer Linton Hope, the aircraft was of conventional biplane flying-boat configuration, and also featured a biplane tail with twin rudders. The pilot and observer sat in tandem in the nose, with the engine and pusher propeller mounted behind them, between the wings. The wings could be folded forwards to facilitate shipboard stowage. Two prototypes were constructed in 1916 by Pemberton-Billing Ltd (later to become Supermarine Aviation Works). The first prototype was intended to be powered by a 150 hp (112 kW) Sunbeam Nubian engine, but as this was not ready to use, a 200 horsepower (150 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 was substituted. The aircraft performed poorly both on the water and in the air, demonstrating severe fore and aft vibration during take-off, while subject to excessive yaw during flight. After these problems were solved by producing revised versions of the hull, and the fin and rudder, the AD Flying Boat was able to be ordered into production. A total of 80 aircraft were ordered, and 27 machines were built. Examples were tested with Sunbeam Arab and Wolseley Python engines. Supermarine Channel Following the Armistice, Supermarine purchased 19 of these AD Flying Boats to modify them for the civil market as the Supermarine Channel. The Channel I was powered with a 160 horsepower (120 kW) Beardmore 160 hp engines, and the Channel II was fitted with a 240 horsepower (180 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Puma engine. The reconfigured flying-boats provided accommodation for a pilot and three passengers in three open cockpits. Operators Military operators - Chile 1. Chilean Air Force - One aircraft 2. Chilean Navy acquired one Channel with modified hull (similar to the Supermarine Seal II) in 1922 - Japan Imperial Japanese Navy purchased three Channels - Norway Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service purchased four Beardmore engined Channels in 1920, acquiring a further ex-civil aircraft (one remained in service until 1928) - Sweden Royal Swedish Navy purchased a single Channel in 1921, it being destroyed during testing - United Kingdom 1. Royal Navy 1.1. Royal Naval Air Service operated AD Flying Boat Civil operators - Norway Det Norske Luftfartsrederi, Channel Mk I Specifications (AD Flying Boat) (Data from British Aeroplanes 1914-18) General characteristics Crew: two, pilot and observer Length: 30 ft 7 in (9.32 m) Upper wingspan: 50 ft 4 in (15.34 m) Lower wingspan: 37 ft 7+1⁄4 in (11.462 m) Height: 13 ft 1 in (3.99 m) Wing area: 479 sq ft (44.5 m2) Empty weight: 2,508 lb (1,138 kg) Gross weight: 3,567 lb (1,618 kg) Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8 water-cooled V8 engine, 200 hp (150 kW) Performance Maximum speed: 100 mph (160 km/h, 87 kn) at 2,000 ft (610 m) Endurance: 41⁄2 hr Service ceiling: 11,000 ft (3,400 m) Time to altitude: 30 min to 10,000 ft (3,050 m) Armament Guns: 1 × .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun on flexible mount for observer Bombs: small bomb load Sempill Mission An Air Department Flying Boat used by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) A Supermarine Channel with the Norwegian airline Det Norske Luftfartsrederi in 1920 AD Navyplane AD Navyplane Role - Reconnaissance aircraft Manufacturer - Air Department/Supermarine Designer - Harold Bolas First flight - August 1916 Introduction - n/a Retired - 1917-09-27 Status - Cancelled Primary user - Royal Naval Air Service Produced - January 1916 Number built - 1 The AD Navyplane was designed by the British Admiralty's Air Department as a reconnaissance aircraft for use during World War I. Performance of the prototype was so disappointing that plans to produce it were cancelled almost immediately. The Navyplane was designed by the Admiralty's Harold Bolas with the assistance of R.J. Mitchell of Supermarine. It was a pusher floatplane biplane with the pilot and observer being seated ahead of the wings in a streamlined lightweight nacelle mounted in the gap between the upper and lower sets of wings. A Smith Static radial engine and a pusher propeller were installed behind them. Two examples were ordered in 1916 for the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). Serial numbers were allocated for seven Navyplanes (9095-'96, N.1070-'74) but just one prototype (9095) was completed. Tests of this Supermarine-built prototype commenced in August 1916 (flown by Lieutenant-Commander John Seddon) but proved seriously underpowered and unsatisfactory. The engine was replaced with an AR.1 rotary engine (which was later redesignated the BR.1 for Bentley Rotary 1) and retested in May 1917. However, even without a military load and observer, the Navyplane's performance still proved to be poor, and the design was abandoned on 27 August 1917,[citation needed] with no second prototype being produced. Supermarine attempted to design an improved version to replace the Short 184, the design, the Supermarine Patrol Seaplane, being powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) Sunbeam engine. While contracts for six aircraft were placed, work was abandoned before a prototype was built, the Short 184 proving adequate in the patrol role. Specifications (AD Navyplane) (Data from British Aeroplanes 1914-18) General characteristics Crew: 2 Performance Endurance: 6 hr Time to altitude: 30 min to 2,000 ft (610 m) Armament Guns: 1× .303 in (0.770 mm) Lewis machine gun on flexible mount for observer Bombs: Provision for bombs AD Scout Scout Role - Fighter Manufacturer - Air Department Designer - Harris Booth First flight - 1915 Primary user - Royal Naval Air Service - testing only Number built - 4 The AD Scout (also known as the Sparrow) was designed by Harris Booth of the British Admiralty's Air Department as a fighter aircraft to defend Britain from Zeppelin bombers during World War I. Design and development The Scout was a very unconventional aircraft - a biplane with a fuselage pod mounted on the upper wing. A twin-rudder tail was attached by four booms, and it was provided with an extremely narrow-track undercarriage. The primary armament was intended to be a 2-pounder recoilless Davis Gun, but this was never fitted. Four prototypes were ordered in 1915, and two each were built by Hewlett & Blondeau and the Blackburn Aeroplane & Motor Company. Operational history Trials flown by pilots of the Royal Naval Air Service at Chingford proved the aircraft to be seriously overweight, fragile, sluggish, and difficult to handle, even on the ground. The project was abandoned, and all four prototypes were scrapped. Operators - United Kingdom 1. Royal Naval Air Service Specifications (AD Scout) (Data from The British Fighter since 1912) General characteristics Crew: 1 Length: 22 ft 9 in (6.93 m) Wingspan: 33 ft 5 in (10.19 m) Height: 10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type B-2 9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine, 100 hp (75 kW) Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller Performance Maximum speed: 84 mph (135 km/h, 73 kn) Range: 210 mi (340 km, 180 nmi) Armament Guns: 1x 2-pounder (40 mm) Davis recoilless gun (intended, but never fitted in view of the fragility of the Scout's construction) AD Seaplane Type 1000 AD Seaplane Type 1000 Role - Torpedo bomber bomber Manufacturer - J. Samuel White Designer - Harris Booth First flight - 1916 Primary user - Royal Naval Air Service Number built - 2 The AD Seaplane Type 1000 also known as the Admiralty Type 1000 and the AD.1 (from Air Department) was a British seaplane of the First World War designed to attack German warships. When it first flew, it was the largest British aircraft yet to take to the air. Development The design of the AD.1 was by Harris Booth of the Admiralty's Air Department just prior to World War I. It was the world's first aircraft designed from scratch as a torpedo bomber, one of the three planned versions of the design. The other two were a bomber and an aircraft armed with a recoilless Davis 12-pounder gun (approximately 76 mm calibre). The aircraft was a float-equipped biplane of pod-and-boom design, with engines mounted at the front of both booms, as well as at the rear of the crew pod. Development began in 1915; it was completed and flown for the first time during the summer of 1916. It was found that the Davis gun would project a blast rearwards so the weapon was changed for a conventional 12-pounder 'Naval Landing Gun' though in practice a gun was never installed in the AD.1. Service Seven aircraft were ordered from J. Samuel White, but when the first one delivered was tested, it was found that its weight was higher than expected, its performance was unexpectedly poor and its undercarriage was not robust enough: based on these findings, the contract for the remaining six aircraft was cancelled. The sole example is known to have survived until 1916, probably at the Royal Naval Air Service's Seaplane Experimental Station, Felixstowe base. Specifications (AD Seaplane Type 1000) (Data from British Aeroplanes 1914-1918) General characteristics Crew: 5 Length: 64 ft 3 in (19.58 m) Wingspan: 115 ft 0 in (35.05 m) Empty weight: 22,352 lb (10,139 kg) Gross weight: 27,900 lb (12,655 kg) Powerplant: 3 × Sunbeam Cossack V-12 water-cooled piston engines, 310 hp (230 kW) each Propellers: 4-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propellers (2 tractor and 1 pusher) Performance Maximum speed: 73 kn (84 mph, 135 km/h) Range: 481 nmi (553 mi, 890 km) Service ceiling: 4,900 ft (1,500 m) Armament Guns: 1x QF 12-pounder 8 cwt gun Bombs: 1x 810 lb (367 kg) torpedo |