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RAF B.E.2c
role : two-seat armed reconnaissance and artillery observation
first flight : June 1914 operational : December 1914
country : United-Kingdom
design : Geoffrey de Havilland, E.T.Busk
production : 1739 aircraft
general information : Operational experience with the BE2a & BE2b showed various shortcomings. In the next version, the BE2c it was tried to remedy those shortcomings. It had a more powerfull RAF engine, was faster and could take a bigger bombload. The observer had a Lewis machine gun for defense as one of the first aircraft of the RFC, only the FB5 Gunbus also had a standard armament of 1 machine gun at that time. At that moment the Germans did not have machine gun armed aircraft in service.The first machine gun-armed German two-seaters appeared in april 1915!
On a bomb-mission usually the observer was left behind so bigger bomb load could be carried.
It used ailerons for control in stead of wing-warping. Th efuselage of the BE-2c was the same as the BE-2b but it had a entire new wing with forward stagger.
The BE-2c entered service end 1914, it was used by 12 RFC squadrons and 1 RNAS wing.
The observer sat in the front seat between the wings and his field of fire was very small. Most of the time the machine gun was of no use for defense. At first this was no problem because there were no armed German airplanes around. This changed from mid 1915 and the numbers of shotdown BE2c’s began to rise.
The BE-2c was stable, easy to fly and for this well suited for reconnaissance, artillery observation and aerial photography. With the appearance of the German Fokker- fighter aircraft in August 1915 this stability became a disavantage.
In the winter of 1915-1916 many BE2c’s fell tot he guns of the Fokker-eindeckers. The BE2c were regarded as “Fokker-fodder”. By this time it must have been clear that the German armed C-class 2-seat aircraft with its free field of fire for the observer in the back-seat was a far better layout. Still the British kept on producing the BE2c unchanged. Probably the British staff wanted to keep the offensive over the battle-lines and to fly as many reconnaissance missions as possible regardless of the losses. The brave BE2c aircrew kept on giving vital reports and photographs of the German lines and helpt the British artillery in eliminating the German defenses. For the aircraft lost the production had to be kept on a high rate and there was no time to make changes in the design and layout. In the spring of 1916 the British won back air superiority and with it the number of BE2c’s lost decreased.
Again the aircraft could proof its value as stable platform for aerial photography. The photographs in 1916 still needed a long exposure time, so a steady flight path was essential to get back with usefull images. Late summer the BE-2e arrived at the front as replacement for the BE-2c, still the observer was in the front and it was as vulnerable as the BE-2c.
The BE-2c was used at the front along with the BE-2e till late spring 1917. After this it was used in the UK as Home defense fighter and as training aircraft.
As Home Defense fighter it could not reach the high-flying Gotha G.IV and G.V bombers. The BE2c could reach 3500m flown single seated, while the bomb-loaden Gotha G.IV could maintain 4500m.
Also the top speed of 90 km/hr at 3500m was lower then that of the Gotha bomber (135 km/hr).
But its stability made it a good gun platform for night fighting. It was flown solo from the back seat with an upward firing Lewis gun above the top wing. BE-2c aircraft succeeded in downing several Zeppelins. The nightfighting BE2c’s were stationed in Northold, Hainault Farm en Sutton’s Farm.
Petrol capacity : 200 litre.
users : RFC, RNAS
crew : 2 (observer in front of pilot)
armament : 1 movable 7.70 [mm] (0.303 in) Lewis machine-gun for the observer
engine : 1 RAF 1a air-cooled 8 -cylinder V-engine 90 [hp](66.2 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 11.28 [m], length : 8.31 [m], height : 3.38[m]
wing area : 34.47 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 971 [kg]
empty weight operational : 623 [kg] bombload : 102 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed : 116 [km/u] op 1980 [m]
service ceiling : 3048 [m]
endurance : 5.98 [hours]
estimated action radius : 312 [km]
description :
2-bay biplane with fixed landing gear and tail strut
two spar upper and lower wing
engines, landing gear, fuel and bombs in or attached to the fuselage
airscrew :
fixed pitch 4 -bladed tractor airscrew with max. efficiency :0.59 [ ]
estimated diameter airscrew 2.74 [m]
angle of attack prop : 20.52 [ ]
reduction : 0.50 [ ]
airscrew revs : 800 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 2.42 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 119 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
mean wing chord : 1.53 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 1.70 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 7.38 []
gap : 1.83 [m]
gap/chord : 1.20 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 317 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 1.5 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 21.6 [kg/hr] (29.5 [litre/hr]) at 67 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 4.83 [km/kg]
estimated total fuel capacity : 200 [litre] (147 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 204.0 [kg] = 3.08 [kg/KW]
weight reduction gear : 2.6 [kg]
weight 14 litre oil tank : 1.2 [kg]
oil tank filled with 0.5 litre oil : 0.4 [kg]
oil in engine 0 litre oil : 0.3 [kg]
fuel in engine 0 litre fuel : 0.3 [kg]
weight 13 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 1.9 [kg]
weight cowling 2.6 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 23.2 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 238 [kg](24.5 [%])
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fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 6.16 [cm]): 81 [kg]
bracing : 4.7 [kg]
fuselage covering ( 13.0 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 4.2 [kg]
weight controls + indicators: 6.2 [kg]
weight seats : 6.0 [kg]
weight other details, lighting set, etc. : 5.1 [kg]
weight bomb storage : 7.1 [kg]
weight 188 [litre] main fuel tank empty : 15.0 [kg]
weight engine mounts & firewalls : 3 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 133 [kg](13.6 [%])
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weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 22 [kg]
total weight ribs (52 ribs) : 58 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 636.8 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 237.4 [N]
total weight 8 spars : 46 [kg]
weight wings : 126 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 3.66 [kg]
weight 8 interplane struts & cabane : 25.8 [kg]
weight cables (71 [m]) : 5.2 [kg] (= 73 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 3.5 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (1.5 [m2]) : 5.6 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (3.9 [m2]): 14.5 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 177 [kg] (18.3 [%])
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weight machine-gun(s) : 12.7 [kg]
weight pivot mounting mg :5.0 [kg]
weight armament : 18 [kg]
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wheel pressure : 485.5 [kg]
weight 2 wheels (770 [mm] by 96 [mm]) : 21.0 [kg]
weight tailskid : 2.2 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 24.1 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 47.4 [kg] (4.9 [%]
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calculated empty weight : 613 [kg](63.1 [%])
weight oil for 7.2 hours flying : 10.9 [kg]
weight 5 drums empty : 1.0 [kg]
weight ammunition (235 rounds) : 9.0 [kg]
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calculated operational weight empty : 633 [kg] (65.2 [%])
published operational weight empty : 623 [kg] (64.2 [%])
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weight crew : 162 [kg]
weight fuel for 2.0 hours flying : 43 [kg]
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operational weight : 838 [kg](86.3 [%])
bomb load : 102 [kg]
operational weight bombing mission : 940 [kg]
weight camera : 20 [kg]
operational weight photo mission : 858 [kg]
fuel reserve : 103 [kg] enough for 4.79 [hours] flying
possible additional useful load : 9 [kg]
operational weight fully loaded : 971 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 100 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 971 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (operational without bombload) : 12.66 [kg/kW]
Schutte-Lanz S.L.11 attacked by Lt. W.Leefe Robinson flying a BE2c on night 2/3 September 1916. Only after Robinson had fired several drums of ammunition in the airship it catches fire and crashed as a burning torch near Cuffey, Middlesex. It was the first airship downed over the UK.
total power : 66.2 [kW] at 1600 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 1.7 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 3.75 [g] ultimate load : 5.6 [g] loadfactor : 2.0 [g]
design flight time : 4.19 [hours]
design cycles : 239 sorties, design hours : 1000 [hours]
operational wing loading : 244 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 200 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.19 ["]
max.angle of attack (stalling angle) : 12.49 ["]
angle of attack at max.speed : 4.24 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.15 [ ]
lift coefficient at max.speed : 0.46 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0159 [ ]
drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0500 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0341 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 66 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level (OW without bombload): 80 [km/hr]
min.drag speed (max endurance) : 96 [km/hr] at 1980 [m](power :58 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 103 [km/hr] at 1980 [m] (power:63 [%])
max.rate of climb speed : 82.1 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 104 [km/hr] op 1980 [m] (power:63 [%])
design speed prop : 110 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 116 [km/hr] op 1980 [m] (power:75 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level (without bombload) : 126 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off distance at sea-level : 253 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 9.78 [ ]
max. practical ceiling : 3600 [m] with flying weight :716 [kg]
practical ceiling (operational weight): 2625 [m] with flying weight :838 [kg]
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 1 hour fuel) : 1800 [m] with flying weight :949 [kg]
published ceiling (3048 [m]
climb to 1500m (without bombload) : 14.31 [min]
max.dive speed : 291.0 [km/hr] at 800 [m] height
load factor at max.angle turn 1.49 ["g"]
turn radius at 500m: 50 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 13.5 [seconds] at 500m
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 3.43 [hours] with 2 crew and 102 [kg] bombload and 50.5 [%] fuel
published endurance : 5.98 [hours] with 2 crew and possible useful (bomb) load : 47 [kg] and 88.1 [%] fuel
action radius : 377 [km] with 2 crew and 20[kg] photo camera/radio transmitter or bombload
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 380 [litre] fuel : 1347 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 175 [kg]
production : 18.30 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 1.26 [kg]
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Literature :
Prakt.handb vliegt deel 1 page 168
Oorlogsvliegtuigen 14-18 page 69-73
Jane’s fawoi page 36f
Gevechtsvliegtuigen 14 -18 deel 1 page 38
Bombers 1914-19 page 55,132
Warplanes WOI page 36,42,44,45,62,73,96
De oorlog in de lucht en de ruimte deel I page 71,73
last check python :
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program.
For copyright on drawings/photographs/content please mail to below mail address
(c) B van der Zalm 04 January 2019 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.2(32-bit)