Blackburn Type I
| Type I | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Role | sports |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Blackburn Aeroplane Co |
| Designer | Robert Blackburn |
| First flight | August 1913 |
| Retired | 1915 |
| Number built | 3 |
| Developed from | Blackburn Type D |
The Blackburn Type I was a single-engine civil two-seat monoplane built in the United Kingdom in 1913. Three were produced and used for flying demonstrations and training including seaplane pilotage.
The first Type I was built to the order of Dr. M.G. Christie as a two-seat version of the Type D. Dr. Christie was a student at the Blackburn School at Hendon but failed to obtain his Royal Aero Club pilot's brevet. He nonetheless remained deeply committed to aviation and the result was the brief for the Type I.
The Type I was of identical construction to its predecessor but it naturally was made longer to accommodate the extra seat, of greater span and with a modified fin and undercarriage. Both the passenger and pilot sat in a common extended cockpit, the former in front and over the centre of gravity so the aircraft could be flown by the pilot alone. For the first time, a Blackburn aircraft had the standard modern control combination of rudder bar and a column that moved fore and aft for pitch control. This column carried a wheel to control wing warping. The wings, braced from the undercarriage and from an inverted-V kingpost had the slightly rounded form of the modified Type D. The fin was shorter and less swept, not reaching the forward edge of the tailplane. The forward struts of the undercarriage were now forward-sloping.
The extra weight required more power, so an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome rotary was fitted, with an aluminium cowling surrounding all but the lower 135° of the engine.
The Type I was first flown on or shortly after 14 August 1913 from the Yorkshire Aerodrome, Lofthouse Park, by Harold Blackburn. After the "Roses Race" described below, the cowling was modified with holes for carburettor air, and in December 1913 the double cockpit was converted into two by sheet-metal decking.
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