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74-646: The Gloster Gauntlet was a single-seat biplane fighter designed and produced by the British aeroplane manufacturer Gloster Aircraft in the 1930s. It was the last fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to have an open cockpit, and also the penultimate biplane fighter in its service. The Gauntlet had a somewhat lengthy development process, linking back to the S.S.18 prototype of 1929. Extensive modifications, including multiple engine changes and changes to suit varying specifications , resulted in

148-401: A Gloster Gladiator I ( G-AMRK ) which can be seen during flying displays at Old Warden Aerodrome , Bedfordshire. The Aircraft Restoration Company based at Duxford Airfield also operate a Mercury powered Westland Lysander ( G-CCOM ) as well as a Bristol Blenheim I ( G-BPIV ) light bomber fitted with two Bristol Mercurys, which can be seen at air displays at IWM Duxford as well as across

222-611: A secretive series of exercises that included the first interception of an aircraft using information relayed from ground-based radar , a technique that would prove to be vital during the Second World War . However, as early as 1936, frontline squadrons begun to be reequipped with more advanced fighters, such as the Gloster Gladiator , Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire . Gauntlets were increasingly used in secondary roles and by overseas squadrons, serving in

296-653: A W shape cabane, however as it does not connect the wings to each other, it does not add to the number of bays. Large transport and bombing biplanes often needed still more bays to provide sufficient strength. These are often referred to as multi-bay biplanes . A small number of biplanes, such as the Zeppelin-Lindau D.I have no interplane struts and are referred to as being strutless . Because most biplanes do not have cantilever structures, they require rigging wires to maintain their rigidity. Early aircraft used simple wire (either braided or plain), however during

370-412: A biplane aircraft, two wings are placed one above the other. Each provides part of the lift, although they are not able to produce twice as much lift as a single wing of similar size and shape because the upper and the lower are working on nearly the same portion of the atmosphere and thus interfere with each other's behaviour. In a biplane configuration with no stagger from the upper wing to the lower wing,

444-560: A documented jet-kill, as one Lockheed F-94 Starfire was lost while slowing down to 161 km/h (100 mph) – below its stall speed – during an intercept in order to engage the low flying Po-2. Later biplane trainers included the de Havilland Tiger Moth in the Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and others and the Stampe SV.4 , which saw service postwar in the French and Belgian Air Forces. The Stearman PT-13

518-513: A faster and more comfortable successor to the Dragon. As the available engine power and speed increased, the drag penalty of external bracing increasingly limited aircraft performance. To fly faster, it would be necessary to reduce external bracing to create an aerodynamically clean design; however, early cantilever designs were either too weak or too heavy. The 1917 Junkers J.I sesquiplane utilized corrugated aluminum for all flying surfaces, with

592-422: A given wing area. However, interference between the airflow over each wing increases drag substantially, and biplanes generally need extensive bracing, which causes additional drag. Biplanes are distinguished from tandem wing arrangements, where the wings are placed forward and aft, instead of above and below. The term is also occasionally used in biology , to describe the wings of some flying animals . In

666-507: A minimum of struts; however, it was relatively easy to damage the thin metal skin and required careful handling by ground crews. The 1918 Zeppelin-Lindau D.I fighter was an all-metal stressed-skin monocoque fully cantilevered biplane, but its arrival had come too late to see combat use in the conflict. By the 1930s, biplanes had reached their performance limits, and monoplanes become increasingly predominant, particularly in continental Europe where monoplanes had been increasingly common from

740-612: A reduced capacity into the Second World War. The last examples were withdrawn during 1943. The Gloster Gauntlet can be traced back to the S.S.18 prototype, which made its maiden flight during January 1929. While its performance had proven the basic design to be sound, having demonstrated a maximum speed of 189 MPH, difficulties with the Bristol Mercury IIA engine that powered the aircraft motivated Gloster to explore other powerplants, which ultimately resulted in

814-603: A relatively fast fighter aircraft for the era as well as a heavy armament and favourable manoeuvrability. By mid-1933, the Gauntlet name had been applied to the type and the Air Ministry placed an initial order for 24 aircraft during September of that year. It was procured as a replacement for the Bristol Bulldog , being roughly 50 MPH faster while also being more heavily armed. In May 1935, No. 19 Squadron became

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888-463: A small degree, but more often was used to improve access to the cockpit. Many biplanes have staggered wings. Common examples include the de Havilland Tiger Moth , Bücker Bü 131 Jungmann and Travel Air 2000 . Alternatively, the lower wing can instead be moved ahead of the upper wing, giving negative stagger, and similar benefits. This is usually done in a given design for structural reasons, or to improve visibility. Examples of negative stagger include

962-473: A somewhat unusual sesquiplane arrangement, possessing a more substantial lower wing with two spars that eliminated the flutter problems encountered by single-spar sesquiplanes. The stacking of wing planes was suggested by Sir George Cayley in 1843. Hiram Maxim adopted the idea for his steam-powered test rig, which lifted off but was held down by safety rails, in 1894. Otto Lilienthal designed and flew two different biplane hang gliders in 1895, though he

1036-620: A top speed of 215.5 mph (346.8 km/h) as well as attaining an altitude of 20,000 feet in 11 minutes and 43 seconds. Having been sufficiently satisfied by the demonstrated performance, the Air Ministry opted to place an initial order via a draft production schedule for 24 Gauntlets as a replacement for one squadron of Bristol Bulldog fighters during September 1933; both the finalised specification and contract No. 285263/35 were issued to Gloster in February 1934. During December 1934,

1110-494: A total of 14 Squadrons of RAF Fighter Command operating the type. By 1936 the RAF began to procure more advanced fighters, such as the Gloster Gladiator , Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire , and these progressively replaced the Gauntlet. As a consequence, Gauntlets were typically transferred onwards to freshly-formed units, serving as their first equipment to allow them to train in advance of receiving more modern fighters. It

1184-560: Is better known for his monoplanes. By 1896 a group of young men in the United States, led by Octave Chanute , were flying hang gliders including biplanes and concluded that the externally braced biplane offered better prospects for powered flight than the monoplane. In 1903, the Wright Flyer biplane became the first successful powered aeroplane. Throughout the pioneer years, both biplanes and monoplanes were common, but by

1258-821: Is registered in Finland where it spends its summers in the Karhula Flying Club Aviation Museum at the Kymi Airfield near Kotka . This aircraft is fitted with a 520 hp (388 kW) Alvis Leonides radial engine. Data from Gloster Aircraft since 1917 General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists Biplane Biplanes offer several advantages over conventional cantilever monoplane designs: they permit lighter wing structures, low wing loading and smaller span for

1332-536: The Bristol M.1 , that caused even those with relatively high performance attributes to be overlooked in favour of 'orthodox' biplanes, and there was an allegedly widespread belief held at that time that monoplane aircraft were inherently unsafe during combat. Between the years of 1914 and 1925, a clear majority of new aircraft introduced were biplanes; however, during the latter years of the First World War,

1406-587: The First World War -era Fokker D.VII fighter and the Second World War de Havilland Tiger Moth basic trainer. The larger two-seat Curtiss JN-4 Jenny is a two bay biplane , the extra bay being necessary as overlong bays are prone to flexing and can fail. The SPAD S.XIII fighter, while appearing to be a two bay biplane, has only one bay, but has the midpoints of the rigging braced with additional struts; however, these are not structurally contiguous from top to bottom wing. The Sopwith 1½ Strutter has

1480-526: The Gauntlet I . During April 1935, Gloster received contract No. 396880/35, which ordered 104 Gauntlet IIs. In September 1935, a follow-on order via contract No. 442477/35 for another 100 aircraft was issued to the company. Deliveries of the Gauntlet II commenced during May 1935, with the first examples being issued to No. 56 Squadron and No. 111 Squadron . A total of 204 Gauntlet IIs were produced in

1554-703: The Grumman Ag Cat are available in upgraded versions with turboprop engines. The two most produced biplane designs were the 1913 British Avro 504 of which 11,303 were built, and the 1928 Soviet Polikarpov Po-2 of which over 20,000 were built, with the Po-2 being the direct replacement for the Soviet copy of the Avro 504. Both were widely used as trainers. The Antonov An-2 was very successful too, with more than 18,000 built. Although most ultralights are monoplanes,

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1628-617: The Lite Flyer Biplane, the Sherwood Ranger , and the Murphy Renegade . The feathered dinosaur Microraptor gui glided, and perhaps even flew, on four wings, which may have been configured in a staggered sesquiplane arrangement. This was made possible by the presence of flight feathers on both forelimbs and hindlimbs, with the feathers on the forelimbs opening to a greater span. It has been suggested that

1702-556: The Nieuport-Delage NiD 42 / 52 / 62 series, Fokker C.Vd & e, and Potez 25 , all serving across a large number of air forces. In the general aviation sector, aircraft such as the Waco Custom Cabin series proved to be relatively popular. The Saro Windhover was a sesquiplane with the upper wing smaller than the lower, which was a much rarer configuration than the reverse. The Pfalz D.III also featured

1776-809: The PZL P.11 fighters. It was also built by NOHAB in Sweden and used in the Swedish Gloster Gladiator fighters and in the Saab 17 dive-bomber. In Italy, it was built by Alfa Romeo as the Mercurius. In Czechoslovakia it was built by Walter Engines . In Finland, it was built by Tampella and mainly used on Bristol Blenheim bombers. Note: (1937) 820 hp (610 kW) Note: The Shuttleworth Collection operates two Bristol Mercury powered aircraft: A Westland Lysander III ( G-AZWT ) and

1850-501: The Sopwith Dolphin , Breguet 14 and Beechcraft Staggerwing . However, positive (forward) stagger is much more common. The space enclosed by a set of interplane struts is called a bay (much as the architectural form is used), hence a biplane or triplane with one set of such struts connecting the wings on each side of the aircraft is a single-bay biplane . This provided sufficient strength for smaller aircraft such as

1924-419: The lift coefficient is reduced by 10 to 15 percent compared to that of a monoplane using the same airfoil and aspect ratio . The lower wing is usually attached to the fuselage , while the upper wing is raised above the fuselage with an arrangement of cabane struts , although other arrangements have been used. Either or both of the main wings can support ailerons , while flaps are more usually positioned on

1998-606: The propeller . The same techniques were applied to the original Jupiter-sized engine to produce the Pegasus . The Mercury's smaller size was aimed at fighter use and it powered the Gloster Gauntlet and its successor, the Gloster Gladiator . It was intended that the larger Pegasus would be for bombers , but as the power ratings of both engines rose, the Mercury was used in almost all roles. Perhaps its most famous use

2072-647: The 100-octane fuel in 1939. This engine was capable of running with a boost pressure of +9 lbs/sq.in (0.62 bar) and was first used in the Blenheim Mk IV. The Mercury was also the first British aero engine to be approved for use with variable-pitch propellers. The Bristol company and its shadow factories produced 20,700 examples of the engine. Outside the United Kingdom, Mercury was licence-built by Państwowe Zakłady Lotnicze in Poland and used in

2146-514: The CR.42 was able to achieve success in the defensive night fighter role against RAF bombers that were striking industrial targets throughout northern Italy. The British Fleet Air Arm operated the Fairey Swordfish torpedo bomber from its aircraft carriers, and used the type in the anti-submarine warfare role until the end of the conflict, largely due to their ability to operate from

2220-528: The Caribou , performed the first non-stop flight between the Canadian mainland and Britain in 30 hours 55 minutes, although the intended target for this long distance flight had originally been Baghdad , Iraq . Despite its relative success, British production of the Dragon was quickly ended when in favour of the more powerful and elegant de Havilland Dragon Rapide , which had been specifically designed to be

2294-461: The Finns. The Finnish nickname for the Gauntlet was Kotletti (literally " cutlet "). [REDACTED]   Australia [REDACTED]   Denmark [REDACTED]   Finland [REDACTED]   Southern Rhodesia [REDACTED]   South Africa [REDACTED]   United Kingdom As of 2008, the only remaining airworthy Gauntlet II in the world, GT-400 ,

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2368-515: The First World War, the British Royal Aircraft Factory developed airfoil section wire named RAFwire in an effort to both increase the strength and reduce the drag. Four types of wires are used in the biplane wing structure. Drag wires inside the wings prevent the wings from being folded back against the fuselage, running inside a wing bay from the forward inboard corner to the rear outboard corner. Anti-drag wires prevent

2442-577: The French Nieuport 17 and German Albatros D.III , offered lower drag than a conventional biplane while being stronger than a monoplane. During the Interwar period , numerous biplane airliners were introduced. The British de Havilland Dragon was a particularly successful aircraft, using straightforward design to could carry six passengers on busy routes, such as London-Paris services. During early August 1934, one such aircraft, named Trail of

2516-411: The Gauntlet was conducted by No. 32 (The Royal) Squadron , which participated in early trials of ground-based radar , helping to develop techniques for the direction of fighters; these exercises included the first successful radar-controlled interception, a technique that would prove invaluable during the Second World War . In May 1937, the Gauntlet had reached the peak of its strength in the RAF, with

2590-661: The Germans had been experimenting with a new generation of monoplanes, such as the Fokker D.VIII , that might have ended the biplane's advantages earlier had the conflict not ended when it had. The French were also introducing the Morane-Saulnier AI , a strut-braced parasol monoplane , although the type was quickly relegated to the advanced trainer role following the resolution of structural issues. Sesquiplane types, which were biplanes with abbreviated lower wings such as

2664-458: The Gloster S.S.19B. Evaluation flights of this revision revealed the aircraft to possess a maximum speed of 212 mph (341 km/h). By the summer of 1933, testing had progressed with the S.S.19B and plans to procure the type had advanced to the point where the Gauntlet name was assigned to the type. Having been re-engined with a Bristol Mercury VIs engine, the type proved itself capable of

2738-630: The Italians before being retired from operations owing to maintenance problems. In August 1940, 430 Flight RAF was formed in Sudan with a mixture of Gauntlets and Vickers Vincents in the army co-operation role during the East African campaign , with the Gauntlets carrying out bombing and strafing operations against Italian forces. Sudan was where Flight Lieutenant Arthur Brewerton Mitchell scored

2812-457: The UK. The first squadron to receive the Gauntlet I was No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford , who received their first examples during May 1935. Its performance was a clear advancement over the squadron's previous type, the Bristol Bulldog , being 56 mph (90 km/h) faster than its predecessor; between 1935 and 1937, the Gauntlet was the fastest aircraft in operation with the RAF. Accordingly, it

2886-409: The aircraft's design, such as the addition of mainwheel spats, a spatted tailwheel, and a modified tail unit with greater fin area and thus increased stability. Re-designated as the S.S.19A, the aircraft underwent a full service evaluation during late 1931, during which it achieved a top speed of 204 mph (328 km/h). Further modifications were made to satisfy Specification F.20/27 , resulting in

2960-407: The biplane naturally has a deep structure and is therefore easier to make both light and strong. Rigging wires on non-cantilevered monoplanes are at a much sharper angle, thus providing less tension to ensure stiffness of the outer wing. On a biplane, since the angles are closer to the ideal of being in direct line with the forces being opposed, the overall structure can then be made stiffer. Because of

3034-608: The competition aerobatics role and format for such a biplane well-defined by the mid-1930s by the Udet U 12 Flamingo and Waco Taperwing . The Pitts Special dominated aerobatics for many years after World War II and is still in production. The vast majority of biplane designs have been fitted with reciprocating engines . Exceptions include the Antonov An-3 and WSK-Mielec M-15 Belphegor , fitted with turboprop and turbofan engines respectively. Some older biplane designs, such as

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3108-470: The drag from the number of struts used. The structural forces acting on the spars of a biplane wing tend to be lower as they are divided between four spars rather than two, so the wing can use less material to obtain the same overall strength and is therefore lighter. A given area of wing also tends to be shorter, reducing bending moments on the spars, which then allow them to be more lightly built as well. The biplane does however need extra struts to maintain

3182-453: The earlier Jupiter engine, later variants could produce 800 horsepower (600 kW) from its capacity of 1,500 cubic inches (25 L) by use of a geared supercharger . Almost 21,000 engines were produced, with a number also being built under license elsewhere in Europe. Several examples remain airworthy, with other preserved examples on public display in aviation museums . The Mercury

3256-549: The end of World War I . At the start of World War II , several air forces still had biplane combat aircraft in front line service but they were no longer competitive, and most were used in niche roles, such as training or shipboard operation, until shortly after the end of the war. The British Gloster Gladiator biplane, the Italian Fiat CR.42 Falco and Soviet I-153 sesquiplane fighters were all still operational after 1939. According to aviation author Gianni Cattaneo,

3330-448: The first production Gauntlet, K4081 , was completed; on 17 December of that year, it performed its maiden flight from Gloster's Hucclecote facility. On 25 May 1935, the first two aircraft were delivered to No. 19 Squadron , while 20 of the first 24 Gauntlets had been completed by the end of the following month, the majority of which were also promptly dispatched to join No. 19 Squadron. While

3404-473: The first production batch unfeasible, it was determined to be quite beneficial for future production batches to incorporate Hawker structural elements, largely in the rear fuselage of the aircraft, as this would reduce assembly costs as well as be easier to repair by reducing the use of welding . The revised aircraft, usually known as the Gauntlet II , led to the initial batch being retroactively referred as

3478-433: The first unit to receive the Gauntlet I. An improved model, the Gauntlet II, featuring structural improvements sourced from Gloster's new parent company, Hawker was developed during 1934; deliveries of this new model commenced in the following year. Gloster received orders for over 200 Gauntlet IIs, with the type eventually being operated by 14 RAF squadrons of RAF Fighter Command . It was used for various duties, including

3552-550: The fuselage), in order to conform with these requirements. Extensive trials of the aircraft were conducted at RAF Martlesham Heath during late 1930, in which it was found to be free of major detects and to have superior handling to any single-seat aircraft up to that point. Despite the S.S.19's promising performance, attitudes within the Air Staff as to what the armaments of the prospective future fighter had shifted and changes were requested. Folland decided to respond by refining

3626-416: The gap between the wings, which add both weight and drag. The low power supplied by the engines available in the first years of aviation limited aeroplanes to fairly low speeds. This required an even lower stalling speed, which in turn required a low wing loading , combining both large wing area with light weight. Obtaining a large enough wing area without the wings being long, and thus dangerously flexible

3700-481: The hind limbs could not have opened out sideways but in flight would have hung below and slightly behind the fore limbs. Bristol Mercury The Bristol Mercury is a British nine-cylinder, air-cooled, single-row, piston radial engine . Designed by Roy Fedden of the Bristol Aeroplane Company it was used to power both civil and military aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s. Developed from

3774-555: The home-based Gauntlet squadrons ( 616 Squadron was the exception) had re-equipped with more modern fighters. However, the type remained in frontline service in the Middle East for some time; a flight of Gauntlets remained in service with No.3 Sqn of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in the Middle East when Italy declared war in 1940. These aircraft were briefly used for ground-attack operations against

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3848-639: The low speeds and simple construction involved have inspired a small number of biplane ultralights, such as Larry Mauro's Easy Riser (1975–). Mauro also made a version powered with solar cells driving an electric motor called the Solar Riser . Mauro's Easy Riser was used by "Father Goose", Bill Lishman . Other biplane ultralights include the Belgian-designed Aviasud Mistral , the German FK12 Comet (1997–),

3922-519: The lower wing. Bracing is nearly always added between the upper and lower wings, in the form of interplane struts positioned symmetrically on either side of the fuselage and bracing wires to keep the structure from flexing, where the wings are not themselves cantilever structures. The primary advantage of the biplane over a monoplane is its ability to combine greater stiffness with lower weight. Stiffness requires structural depth and where early monoplanes had to have this provided with external bracing,

3996-573: The most famed copies was the Siemens-Schuckert D.I . The Albatros D.III and D.V , which had also copied the general layout from Nieuport, similarly provided the backbone of the German forces during the First World War. The Albatros sesquiplanes were widely acclaimed by their aircrews for their maneuverability and high rate of climb. During interwar period , the sesquiplane configuration continued to be popular, with numerous types such as

4070-542: The night ground attack role throughout the Second World War. In the case of the Po-2, production of the aircraft continued even after the end of the conflict, not ending until around 1952. A significant number of Po-2s were fielded by the Korean People's Air Force during the Korean War , inflicting serious damage during night raids on United Nations bases. The Po-2 is also the only biplane to be credited with

4144-651: The only recorded air-to-air victory in a Gauntlet, when he shot down an Italian Caproni Ca.133 transport plane. Gauntlets continued in use for meteorological flights until 1943. Seventeen Gauntlets IIs were licence-produced in Denmark, while 25 ex-RAF machines were supplied by South Africa as part of its support for Finland in 1940, which was engaged in the Winter War against the Soviet Union . Already obsolete at this point, they were used as advanced trainers by

4218-486: The outbreak of the First World War biplanes had gained favour after several monoplane structural failures resulted in the RFC's "Monoplane Ban" when all monoplanes in military service were grounded, while the French also withdrew most monoplanes from combat roles and relegated them to training. Figures such as aviation author Bruce observed that there was an apparent prejudice held even against newly-designed monoplanes, such as

4292-424: The reduced stiffness, wire braced monoplanes often had multiple sets of flying and landing wires where a biplane could easily be built with one bay, with one set of landing and flying wires. The extra drag from the wires was not enough to offset the aerodynamic disadvantages from having two airfoils interfering with each other however. Strut braced monoplanes were tried but none of them were successful, not least due to

4366-657: The relatively compact decks of escort carriers . Its low stall speed and inherently tough design made it ideal for operations even in the often severe mid-Atlantic weather conditions. By the end of the conflict, the Swordfish held the distinction of having caused the destruction of a greater tonnage of Axis shipping than any other Allied aircraft. Both the German Heinkel He 50 and the Soviet Polikarpov Po-2 were used with relative success in

4440-728: The series of Nieuport military aircraft—from the Nieuport 10 through to the Nieuport 27 which formed the backbone of the Allied air forces between 1915 and 1917. The performance of the Nieuport sesquiplanes was so impressive that the Idflieg (the German Inspectorate of flying troops) requested their aircraft manufacturers to produce copies, an effort which was aided by several captured aircraft and detailed drawings; one of

4514-415: The structural problems associated with monoplanes, but offered little improvement for biplanes. The default design for a biplane has the wings positioned directly one above the other. Moving the upper wing forward relative to the lower one is called positive stagger or, more often, simply stagger. It can increase lift and reduce drag by reducing the aerodynamic interference effects between the two wings by

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4588-399: The structurally similar Gloster S.S.19. Around this time, the Air Ministry was formulating Specification F.10/27 , which called for a single-seat fighter aircraft that was to be armed with six machine guns and function as a high altitude interceptor ; Henry Folland , Gloster's chief designer, opted to modify the S.S.19 to carry a heavier armament (four machine guns in the wings and two in

4662-670: The two planes when the high pressure air under the top wing and the low pressure air above the lower wing cancel each other out. This means that a biplane does not in practice obtain twice the lift of the similarly-sized monoplane. The farther apart the wings are spaced the less the interference, but the spacing struts must be longer, and the gap must be extremely large to reduce it appreciably. As engine power and speeds rose late in World War I , thick cantilever wings with inherently lower drag and higher wing loading became practical, which in turn made monoplanes more attractive as it helped solve

4736-442: The type's development had been lengthy, it resulted in an aircraft that was relatively trouble-free and quickly acquired a favourable reputation. As a result of Hawker 's takeover of Gloster in 1934, there as a considerable emphasis placed upon the latter to standardise its construction and design techniques with that of its new parent company. While the Gauntlet programme had been sufficiently advanced as to make major alterations to

4810-400: The upper and lower wings together. The sesquiplane is a type of biplane where one wing (usually the lower) is significantly smaller than the other. The word, from Latin, means "one-and-a-half wings". The arrangement can reduce drag and weight while retaining the biplane's structural advantages. The lower wing may have a significantly shorter span, or a reduced chord . Examples include

4884-434: The wings from folding up, and run from the underside of the outer wing to the lower wing root. Conversely, landing wires prevent the wings from sagging, and resist the forces when an aircraft is landing, and run from the upper wing centre section to outboard on the lower wings. Additional drag and anti-drag wires may be used to brace the cabane struts which connect the fuselage to the wings, and interplane struts, which connect

4958-421: The wings from moving forward when the aircraft stops and run the opposite direction to the drag wires. Both of these are usually hidden within the wings, and if the structure is sufficiently stiff otherwise, may be omitted in some designs. Indeed many early aircraft relied on the fabric covering of the wing to provide this rigidity, until higher speeds and forces made this inadequate. Externally, lift wires prevent

5032-674: Was also decided to ship numerous Gauntlets to distant parts of the British Empire , such as to equip three RAF squadrons that were stationed in the Middle East . However, in September 1938, when the Munich Crisis threatened war with Germany, 45% of the RAF's fighter squadrons (nine squadrons) still flew the Gauntlet, with only three squadrons equipped with Hurricanes. By the outbreak of the Second World War, all but one of

5106-435: Was developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1925 as their Bristol Jupiter was reaching the end of its lifespan. Although the Mercury initially failed to attract much interest, the Air Ministry eventually funded three prototypes and it became another winner for the designer Roy Fedden . With the widespread introduction of superchargers to the aviation industry in order to improve altitude performance, Fedden felt it

5180-551: Was in a twin-engine light bomber , the Bristol Blenheim . In 1938 Roy Fedden pressed the Air Ministry to import supplies of 100 octane aviation spirit from the US. This new fuel would allow aero engines to run at higher compression ratios and supercharger boost pressure than the existing 87-octane fuel, thus increasing the power. The Mercury XV was one of the first British aero engines to be type-tested and cleared to use

5254-404: Was more readily accomplished with a biplane. The smaller biplane wing allows greater maneuverability . Following World War I, this helped extend the era of the biplane and, despite the performance disadvantages, most fighter aircraft were biplanes as late as the mid-1930s. Specialist sports aerobatic biplanes are still made in small numbers. Biplanes suffer aerodynamic interference between

5328-459: Was procured in sufficient numbers to become the most common fighter of the service during this era. During May 1936, the improved Gauntlet II entered service with No. 56 Squadron and No. 111 Squadron , while a further six squadrons being re-equipped with the Gauntlet by the end of the year. Beyond its typical role, the type was occasionally used for other duties, such as for meteorological and competition flights. One particularly secretive use of

5402-399: Was reasonable to use a small amount of boost at all times in order to improve performance of an otherwise smaller engine. Instead of designing an entirely new block, the existing Jupiter parts were re-used with the stroke reduced by one inch (25 mm). The smaller capacity engine was then boosted back to Jupiter power levels, while running at higher rpm and thus requiring a reduction gear for

5476-729: Was widely used by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) while the US Navy operated the Naval Aircraft Factory N3N . In later civilian use in the US, the Stearman became particularly associated with stunt flying such as wing-walking , and with crop dusting, where its compactness worked well at low levels, where it had to dodge obstacles. Modern biplane designs still exist in specialist roles such as aerobatics and agricultural aircraft with

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