Blackburn Beagle
| Beagle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | bomber and torpedo bomber |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co. Ltd |
| Designer | G.E. Petty |
| First flight | 18 February 1928 |
| Retired | 1933 |
| Number built | 1 |
The Blackburn B.T.1 Beagle was a British single-engine, two-seat biplane bomber/torpedo aircraft from 1928. Designed to Air Ministry specifications which led to no contracts for any manufacturer, only one Beagle was built.
The B.T. in the Beagle's designation stood for bomber and torpedo, the first aircraft that Blackburn had built for both roles. Its design was started to Air Ministry specification 24/25 for a high-altitude bomber, but was later modified to meet specification 23/25 for a day bomber, reconnaissance and torpedo aircraft.
The Beagle was a single-bay biplane with staggered and slightly swept wings. The fabric-covered wings, which did not fold as the aircraft was not intended for carrier service, had spruce spars and ribs with metal bracing. Four ailerons were fitted. The fuselage followed standard Blackburn practice with a steel tube centre section and wooden construction aft, though the final section was again of tube steel; covering was fabric throughout. Fin area was small and the rudder large, with a horn balance initially merging into the fin but later reduced, leaving a prominent step similar to that of the Blackburn Nautilus. The braced tailplane had significantly greater elevator than stabiliser area, the former also having prominent horn balances.
The undercarriage was of the split type required by the torpedo dropping role, but a carrier mechanism between the legs could also hold a 185 imp gal (840 L) fuel tank for reconnaissance work. Cockpits were open with the pilot in front, armed with a forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun mounted on the port side. The gunner's cockpit was close to the pilot's for communication. He had a Scarff ring-mounted .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis Gun, but to fulfil his role as torpedo or bomb aimer, he moved into a prone position in a station below the pilot's cockpit. This had a bombsight, used via an opening with a sliding door in the bottom of the fuselage and had bomb fusing and release controls plus altitude and airspeed gauges and a hand-operated rudder control for yaw corrections on target.
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