SE5a Biplane Fighter

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One of the most successful fighters of World War One, the SE5 biplane (Scout Experimental 5) entered service in March 1917 and was instrumental in regaining Allied air superiority and maintaining it for the rest of the war.

Although it was not as agile and effective in a tight dogfight as the Sopwith Camel, it more than made up for this with its high top speed of 138mph (faster than any rival German aircraft), its good performance at high altitude and the inherent stability of its design that made it an excellent gunnery platform.

Equipped with a synchronised forward facing Vickers .303-inch machine gun and a wing mounted Lewis gun, it could fire at enemy aircraft either from below or behind and was much safer and easier to fly than the Camel, qualities much-appreciated by all pilots, especially novices. Designed by the Royal Aircraft Factory in Farnborough, it was initially powered by a 150bhp Hispano-Suiza V8 but this was soon replaced by a more powerful 200bhp version in the SE5a.

Many of the top Allied aces flew the SE5a including Billy Bishop, Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor, Edward Mannock and James McCudden, the latter writing that: “It was very fine to be in a machine that was faster than the Huns, and to know that one could run away just as things got too hot”! Legendary British ace Albert Ball VC was initially disparaging of the SE5 but in the end claimed 11 of his 44 victories flying it.

A total of 5,265 SE5s were made by six manufacturers: Vickers (2,164); Austin Motors (1,650); Air Navigation and Engineering Company (560); Wolseley Motors Ltd (431); Martinsyde (258) and Curtiss who made just one.

This handmade model SE5a is thought to have been made at least 60 years ago and is fitted with a 10cc Webra engine. It bears the number F2450 on the tail fin which is almost certainly connected to a particular Allied ace, an avenue that the new owner may find it interesting to explore. Although the engine turns and has compression, the plane has not been flown for many years, having spent the last two decades or more suspended above a collection of classic cars owned by the vendor.

Expertly made from wood and canvas, it has a 6’ 6” wingspan and measures 5’ 1” from nose to tail. Complete with a determined-looking miniature pilot in the cockpit, it would make a fine ornament in any garage or man cave.