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50-439: In February 1915, Swiss designer Marc Birkigt had created an overhead cam aviation powerplant based on his Hispano-Suiza V8 automobile engine, resulting in a 150-kilogram (330 lb) engine capable of producing 100 kW (140 hp) at 1,400 rpm. Further refinement brought the power to 110 kW (150 hp) by July 1915. Given the engine's potential, French officials ordered called upon aircraft designers to create

100-637: A 20/24 hp Hispano-Suiza chassis and assured the company of his full support. He awarded Birkigt the title of Knight of Isabella the Catholic in 1908. A new factory was built in Sagrera and sales offices were created in Geneva and Paris , then in the rest of Europe . A sales license was granted to the Swiss company SAG (Société d'automobiles à Genève) of Lucien Pictet and Paul Piccard . The latter marketed

150-573: A new high-performance fighter around the engine, called the Hispano-Suiza 8A , with production to begin as soon as possible. Louis Béchereau , chief designer of the SPAD company, quickly produced a prototype fighter with the new engine. The SPAD V was a version of the SPAD S.A two-seat "pulpit fighter", which dispensed with the so-called "pulpit" which carried the observer in front of the propeller. One of many many common design features between

200-486: A prototype electric omnibus for Barcelona for the company “La Cuadra”. He then designed and manufactured two models of gasoline powered carts: a 4.5 hp single-cylinder and the 7.5-horsepower twin-cylinder Cuadra Centauroune, which in 1901 traveled 1,000 km without incident. He filed his first mechanical patents but the company went bankrupt. Marc Birkigt founded with the financier Juan Castro de La Cuadra in November 1902

250-503: A similar fashion, the Dux factory in Moscow produced approximately 100 S.VIIs under license in 1917, with engines supplied by France. It would appear the engines were often used and/or of lower quality, and that Dux used lower-grade material in building the airframes. This combination of extra weight and weaker powerplants significantly reduced performance. The total number of aircraft produced

300-629: Is the Hispano-Suiza 12X engine derived from the V8; one of the first engines of the 1000 hp (750 kW) class in the Hispano-Suiza 12Y version, produced under license and developed in Czechoslovakia , Spain , Switzerland and the USSR . The Hispano-Suiza HS-404 aircraft gun was also designed and widely adopted by the British and American armed forces during World War II. At the end of World War II ,

350-606: Is uncertain, with sources varying from 3,825 to some 5,600 SPAD S.VIIs built in France, 220 in the United Kingdom and approximately 100 in Russia. French production numbers may include other SPAD models, and/or S.VIIs produced by other contractors. The SPAD XII began as an enlarged S.VII, equipped with a 37 mm cannon. It was a distinct type rather than a variant of the S.VII though. the S.VII can be distinguished from both

400-580: The Dewoitine company along with Émile Dewoitine . Birkigt was nominated for the Car Engineer of the Century prize for the luxurious Hispano-Suiza H6 car in the 1920s. He also won fame for the aircraft engines and guns he designed as chief engineer at Hispano-Suiza, the former including the liquid-cooled V8 engine that powered the famous French SPAD VII and SPAD XIII World War I fighters, and

450-470: The Dux factory under license. Another early user of the SPAD VII was Germany. Several were captured intact and were reportedly used both in combat and for training. Rudolph Windisch of Jasta 66 flew a SPAD VII in combat with German markings although it is not known if any aerial victories were achieved. Belgium equipped the 5e Escadrille (later renamed 10e Escadrille ) with the S.VII. Edmond Thieffry

500-593: The Geneva Mechanical School at the age of 17 from where he graduated as an engineer at the age of 20 and then worked in a company manufacturing machines and tools for watchmaking. During his military service in Switzerland, he served as gunsmith. Aged 21, he joined Carlos Vellino (engineering school friend) in 1899 in Barcelona (industrial capital of Catalonia ) and worked unsuccessfully on

550-645: The Hispano-Suiza H6 , to take advantage of the new fortunes made during the war. In 1923, the French subsidiary acquired its independence and was baptized Hispano-Suiza . Birkigt joined forces with Michelin in the 1930s to create a railcar: the famous Micheline . After having built more than 2,500 chassis, Hispano Suiza was nationalized by the French state in 1936. Marc Birkigt stopped manufacturing automobiles and devoted himself to aircraft engines and automatic weapons for French national defense. The result

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600-555: The 1960s was often accompanied by the statement “ESTD. 1898”). Besides car dealing the company continued electrical installation work. The company supplied its first custom built car body in 1909 for a Rolls-Royce chassis. By 1913, it had branches across East Anglia and in London. Starting in 1915, the company was required to build aeroplanes for the national war effort. Most of the aircraft were built under licence, including 22 Short Admiralty Type 184s and 20 Short Bombers . Towards

650-1069: The American pilots for the SPAD XIII. After the war, surplus SPAD VIIs were used into the late 1920s by numerous countries, including Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Finland, Greece, Japan, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Siam, the United States and Yugoslavia. Data from Davilla, Dr. James J.; Soltan, Arthur (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War . Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. p. 493. ISBN   978-1891268090 . General characteristics Performance Armament Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era ) Marc Birkigt Marc Birkigt (8 March 1878, Geneva – 15 March 1953, Versoix )

700-674: The British Sopwith Dolphin and S.E. 5a , whilst in the field of ordnance he created the Hispano-Suiza HS.404 20mm autocannon , which was of great importance in WW II as the main fighter gun of the RAF from 1941 onwards. Marc was born on March 8, 1878, in Geneva , Switzerland . Son of a tailor in rue Rousseau, his mother died when he was 2 and his father when he was 12. He was raised by his grandmother. Marc entered

750-518: The British SPADs. Photographic evidence shows that some had the cylinder bank fairings, or even the entire upper engine cowling, cut out to compensate for the malfunctioning radiators. As a result, most British-built S.VIIs were used for training, with front line units equipped with French-built models. After some 220 had been produced, British production of the S.VII was halted in favour of comparable British types that were becoming available. In

800-471: The French air force successfully equipped itself with 40,000 of these engines, which enabled them to fight on equal terms with their German counterparts. This machine powered the SPAD S.VII plane of the Stork Squadron ace Georges Guynemer ; and so the stork is now associated with Hispano-Suiza. At the end of the war Marc Birkigt returned to Paris. He devoted himself to luxury automobiles such as

850-531: The Front, production of the S.VII was initiated in the United Kingdom. Blériot & SPAD Aircraft Works and Mann, Egerton & Co. Ltd. were supplied with plans and sample aircraft and to begin production as soon as possible. The first British-built S.VII was flown and tested in April 1917, and the first aircraft was reported to have performance equal to that of French models. There were however differences between

900-707: The Hispano-Suiza models under this name until 1908 . Marc Birkigt presented two new chassis at the 1907 show: a 4-cylinder 40/45 hp and an imposing 6-cylinder 60/75 hp with 11 litres of displacement decorated with the brand's emblem: two wings (symbol of speed), in the center a white cross (Swiss symbol) on the Spanish colors. In January 1911, Marc Birkigt moved to Paris with a new factory in Levallois and then in Bois-Colombes in 1914 with agencies all over

950-604: The Juan Castro s.en.c Fabrica Hispano-Suiza de Automóviles in Barcelona. They manufactured automobiles with internal combustion engines, the 10 hp, 1,873 cc twin-cylinder and the 14 hp, 2,535 cc 4-cylinder chassis. At the beginning of 1904, production was again suspended for lack of money. The Spanish businessmen Damian Mateù and Francisco Seix then finance on June 14, 1904, the new company Hispano-Suiza Fabrica de Automóviles SA in Barcelona. King Alfonso XIII of Spain ordered

1000-580: The Nieuport fighters. By this date, the Nieuport 11 that had ended the infamous " Fokker scourge " episode had been largely replaced by later types such as the Nieuport 17 but these were now being bested by a new generation of German fighters by the second half of 1916 that threatened to give Germany mastery of the skies again. At the same time, the rotary engines that had powered most Allied fighters until then were proving difficult to scale further, while

1050-404: The Nieuport. It gained a reputation for being stronger than its predecessors. Its principal shortcoming was its one machine gun armament at a time when the opposing Albatros D.III fighters were equipped with two. The SPAD VII was gradually replaced by the improved SPAD XIII in front-line units but remained in use as a trainer aircraft with Aviation Militaire throughout the war, and it remained as

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1100-416: The S.XII and the later and larger S.XIII by having unraked cabane struts, connecting the top wing to the fuselage, as well as differences in armament. Late models were equipped with 130 kW (170 hp) or 150 kW (200 hp) Hispano-Suiza engines. The upgrade produced a top speed of 212 km/h (132 mph). The French Aviation Militaire had been sufficiently impressed by the performance of

1150-487: The SPAD V for the first time in April 1916. Flight testing revealed excellent maximum speed (192 km/h (119 mph) and climb rate of 4.5 min to 2,000 m (6,560 ft)). The airframe's sound construction also enabled a good diving performance. In comparison, the Nieuport 17 sesquiplane fighters that equipped a large part of the fighter units couldn't dive as fast because of their lower weight, but which could outclimb

1200-459: The SPAD V prototype to order a batch of 268 aircraft on 10 May 1916. However, teething problems soon appeared and it would be several months before the SPAD VII would serve in significant numbers on the front, the last aircraft of the initial batch only being delivered in February 1917. In spite of these delays, some aircraft were delivered to frontline units as early as August 1916, complementing

1250-451: The SPAD's power, and to compensate for its lack of maneuverability. The aircraft's capacity to dive safely up to 400 km/h (250 mph) permitted the pilot to break from combat when the situation demanded it. With early problems solved and production shared between several manufacturers, the SPAD VII was finally available in large numbers at the front in early 1917. By mid-1917, some 500 were in front-line service, having largely replaced

1300-500: The SPADs by a wide margin. The high diving speed promised to give lower skilled Allied pilots the initiative to engage or leave combat against heavier German fighters. If the new fighter was a rugged and stable shooting platform, many pilots regretted its lack of maneuverability. An initial production contract was made on 10 May 1916, calling for 268 machines, to be designated SPAD VII C.1 (C.1, from avion de c hasse in French, indicating

1350-448: The aircraft was a fighter, while the 1 indicated it was a single seater). Early production aircraft suffered from numerous defects which took time to resolve and limited deliveries. While a few SPADs arrived to frontline units as early as August 1916, large numbers only began to appear in the first months of 1917. In hot weather, the engine overheated and in cold weather, the engine would not warm up. Field modifications attempted to counter

1400-487: The empty belt after the rounds had been fired however dealing with the fabric belt as it came out of the gun was a significant problem and was prone to jamming, and was only solved when Prideaux disintegrating ammo links were introduced. With the initial teething problems solved, several subcontractors began producing the SPAD VII under license. The subcontractors included the firms Grémont, Janoir, Kellner et Fils, de Marçay , Société d'Etudes Aéronautiques, Régy and Sommer. It

1450-856: The end of the conflict the firm built 100 SPAD S.VII French designed fighters. The company also produced ten examples of its own Type B the further development of the Short Type 184. In the Second World War they built vehicle bodies for the Government, especially the ambulance Austin K2/Y . The headquarters were in Prince of Wales Road Norwich where they had one dealership of British Leyland . The garage in Surrey Street, Norwich had one dealership of Ford and commercial vehicles and

1500-581: The factories of Bois-Colombes and Tarbes were in ruins and looted. It then relaunched in the manufacture of aircraft reactors ( Rolls-Royce ), aviation accessories (thrust reversers, gas turbines, landing gear, diesel engines ...) Marc Birkigt married Eugénie Brachet in Geneva on November 23, 1901. From their union were born Louis in 1903 and Yvonne in 1905. He lived in Versoix Geneva, Switzerland, since 1930 in his sumptuous “Rive-bleu” residence on

1550-402: The heavier inline engines were steadily getting more powerful. In this context, it was hoped the new Hispano-Suiza 8 -powered SPAD VII would be able to fight the latest German fighters on better terms. The first aircraft delivered to a frontline unit was S.112 flown by Lt Sauvage of N.65, followed by S.113, assigned to Georges Guynemer of N.3. Guynemer was already credited with 15 victories at

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1600-430: The new SPAD V and the S.A.2 was the use of a single-bay biplane wing with additional struts mounted mid-bay at the point of junction of the flying and landing wires. This design simplified rigging and reduced drag. The fuselage was of the standard construction for the time, consisting of a wooden frame covered with fabric, while the forward part was covered with metal sheeting. A 7.7 mm (.303 in) Vickers machine gun

1650-401: The problem, including cutting extra holes in the metal sheeting to provide more air over the engine. On the production lines, the cowling opening was enlarged and then redesigned with vertical shutters to solve both problems. The engine mount also proved weak and reinforcements were added. Early production aircraft had two ammunition drums. One for the loaded canvas cartridge belt, and one to hold

1700-493: The shores of Lake Geneva facing the Mont-Blanc massif. He died on March 15, 1953, at the age of 75, after having filed more than 150 patents. He is buried together with his wife Eugénie in Versoix Geneva, Switzerland. This article about a Swiss engineer, inventor or industrial designer is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mann, Egerton %26 Co. Ltd. Mann, Egerton & Company Ltd.

1750-695: The standard Italian fighter. Francesco Baracca , Italy's leading ace, was delighted with the new model, and his personal aircraft is preserved in Italy. When the United States entered the war in 1917, an order for 189 SPAD VIIs was placed for the United States Army Air Service of the American Expeditionary Force . The first aircraft were delivered in December 1917. Most were used as advanced trainers to prepare

1800-534: The standard pilot certification test aircraft until 1928. Allied air services were also equipped with the new fighter. The Royal Flying Corps was the first foreign service to receive the SPAD VII, although only 19 Squadron and 23 Squadron ) used it on the Western Front. Fighter schools in the United Kingdom and 30 Squadron in Mesopotamia also received SPADs. British-built SPADs were generally used in

1850-510: The standard powerplant for the SPAD VII and by April 1917, all newly produced aircraft were equipped with it. Numerous experiments were made to improve performance. A Renault V8 110 kW (150 hp) powerplant was tested but required major redesign and the performance was not worthwhile. A supercharged Hispano-Suiza engine was also tested, but also failed to significantly improve performance. Different wing profiles were tested but were not incorporated in production models. One field modification

1900-444: The time, but it was Armand Pinsard of N.26 who was the first to score an aerial victory on 26 August. The introduction of the SPAD VII was not enough to change the balance of the air war, but it allowed both pilots and mechanics to familiarize themselves with the new fighter. Many pilots found the SPAD lacked maneuverability, and some even returned to the nimbler Nieuports. New tactics based on speed were developed to take advantage of

1950-633: The training units and in the Middle East, while fighting units in France used superior French-built models. The SPAD VII was replaced by the Sopwith Dolphin in 19 Squadron in January 1918 – with No. 23 Squadron in April (becoming perhaps the last squadron to use S.VIIs in France). Russia received a batch of 43 in spring 1917 which were supplemented by approximately 100 SPAD VII manufactured by

2000-579: The two. The British were worried about the light armament of the S.VII as most German fighters were now carrying two guns and experiments were made with an extra machine gun on the S.VII. One aircraft was fitted with a Lewis machine gun on the top wing and tested at Martlesham Heath in May 1917, while front line units also made field modifications with Foster mounts commonly associated with the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 . The performance penalty

2050-491: The woodworking business were run from premises on Cromer Road, Norwich. Over the years garages in several other towns were opened or acquired, including Central London where they sold cars of Rolls-Royce and Bentley , Finchley, Lowestoft, Uttoxeter, Leicester, Nottingham (formerly Atkeys), Derby and Worcester. The electrical department was sold to the Westinghouse Brake and Signal Company in 1964. Mann Egerton

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2100-486: The world. King Alfonso XIII was then one of the main shareholders of the brand . In 1914 when the First World War broke out, the factories were placed under the control of the company Gnome et Rhône . Marc Birkigt then developed a light aircraft engine in Barcelona for the Spanish government. The 150 hp Hispano-Suiza 8 a 90° V8 engine introduced the innovative concept of light alloy cylinder blocks. From 1915

2150-488: Was a Swiss engineer , automotive and aviation pioneer, and co-founder of Hispano-Suiza in 1904. He lived in Barcelona , Spain when he was hired by Emilio de la Cuadra in 1898 to work as an automobile engineer in Cuadra's firm La Cuadra. After several bankruptcies and changes in ownership, the firm was reborn in 1904 as the luxury automobile company Hispano-Suiza with Birkigt as chief engineer. Later he co-founded

2200-499: Was an automotive and aerospace company which was headquartered in Norwich , United Kingdom. During its history the company was variously active in automotive retailing, aircraft manufacturing, automotive coachbuilding, and electrical services. It was formally founded in 1905 by Gerald Mann, an electrical engineer and Hubert Egerton, although the two had been working in partnership for a number of preceding years (the logo “Tern” used in

2250-592: Was applied in Czechoslovakia after the war when the undercarriage struts of one S.VII were faired over. Early in the development of the S.VII, the British RFC and RNAS showed an interest in the new fighter. An initial order for 30 aircraft was made but production difficulties kept the delivery rate very low, with production not even meeting French requirements. As the RFC was encountering stronger opposition over

2300-500: Was installed above the engine, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. The prototype was also fitted with a large spinner , to be abandoned later. Another common design feature of both the "pulpit fighters" and the S.VII - also shared with the S.XIII - was the pushrod aileron control linkage, which used a pair of exposed, 90° bellcranks protruding from the lower wing panels to operate vertical pushrods, going up to forward-projecting aileron control horns. SPAD test pilot Bequet flew

2350-402: Was not, however, until February 1917 that the last examples from the initial batch of 268 aircraft was delivered. In early 1917, an improved version of the engine developing 130 kW (180 hp), the Hispano-Suiza 8Ab, was made available. This provided the SPAD VII with better performance, the top speed increasing from 192 to 208 km/h (119 to 129 mph). The new engine gradually became

2400-571: Was probably the most famous Belgian pilot to fly the type, most other aces preferring the Hanriot HD.1 . Italy began using the SPAD VII in March 1917 where nine Squadriglia were equipped with it. As was the case in other air services, pilots accustomed to more maneuverable mounts disliked the new fighter, and again some reverted to the Nieuport 27 or the Hanriot HD.1, which eventually became

2450-531: Was removed on aircraft destined for front line units. The bulged engine access panel located under the exhaust pipe on British models was made of a solid sheet of metal, in place of the louvered panel fitted on French production models. Some British SPADs were also fitted with small spinners on the prop hub. It was soon apparent that British production lines had lower quality standards than their French counterparts, degrading performance and handling. Poor fabric sewing, fragile tailskids and ineffective radiators plagued

2500-476: Was too drastic for the installation to become standard, and most S.VIIs flew with a single Vickers. Other distinguishing features of the British-built S.VIIs included a gun fairing and a solid cowling access panel. The gun fairing partially covered the gun and extended rearwards, replacing the windshield. This, however, seriously limited pilot vision to the front and, although retained on training aircraft,

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