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The Blackburn B-2 was a
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
side-by-side trainer aircraft designed and produced by the British aviation manufacturer
Blackburn Aircraft Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...
. It was designed as a successor to the Bluebird IV and was derived from it, thus the two aircraft shared much of their design. One major difference of the B-2 was its semi- monocoque all-metal fuselage, which was similar to that of the
Blackburn Segrave The Blackburn B-1 Segrave was a 1930s British twin-engine four-seat touring aircraft built by Blackburn Aircraft. History The aircraft was designed by the racing driver (and world land speed record holder) Sir Henry Segrave as a twin-engine ...
touring aircraft. On 10 December 1931, the prototype B-2 performed its maiden flight at Brough. It had excellent manoeuvrability and responsive flying controls, and was a relatively forgiving aircraft in flight. During early 1932, the first production aircraft made its first flight, and was participating in competitive
air race Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over a fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a previ ...
s as early as June of that year. While Blackburn had ambitions to sell the B-2 as a military trainer, the only military airwing to adopt it was the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a part of its expansion programme. It was also flown by numerous civilian flying schools during the 1930s; these aircraft continued to be used into the Second World War as trainers. During February 1942, the remaining B-2s were transferred to the RAF for use by the
Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majorit ...
(ATC) as instructional aides. Only two aircraft survived through to the postwar era. By the twenty-first century, a single B-2 is still maintained in a flightworthy condition as a part of the
Shuttleworth Collection The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located at the Old Warden Aerodrome, Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. It is the oldest in the world and one of the most prestigious, due to the variety of ol ...
.


Development


Background

The B-2 was developed by Blackburn during the early 1930s as a successor for its earlier Bluebird IV trainer. It retained the same basic configuration, such as the side-by-side seating arrangement, present on the earlier aircraft, but principally differed in that it was redesigned with a semi- monocoque all-metal fuselage in place of the metal and
fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not t ...
-covered counterpart. According the aviation author Audrey Jackson, the new fuselage was designed using the same principles as those used for the
Blackburn Segrave The Blackburn B-1 Segrave was a 1930s British twin-engine four-seat touring aircraft built by Blackburn Aircraft. History The aircraft was designed by the racing driver (and world land speed record holder) Sir Henry Segrave as a twin-engine ...
touring aircraft, and possessed remarkable strength for the era, allowing it to better endure rough landings and poor handling (which was commonplace while flown by inexperienced pilots). The structure comprised a series of hollow frames reinforced by light stringers and diagonal steel tubes. The exterior surface was composed of
Alclad Alclad is a corrosion-resistant aluminium sheet formed from high-purity aluminium surface layers metallurgically bonded (rolled onto) to high-strength aluminium alloy core material. It has a melting point of about 500 degrees celsius, or 932 degree ...
, which was stiffened three longitudinal swagings; there was no use of welding or wire bracing at any point of the fuselage.Jackson 1968, p. 330. The single-
bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...
wings were of similar to those of the Bluebird IV, including its steel and duralumin structure, and could be folded for easy storage. Leading edge slots were fitted to the upper wing to improve low-speed handling, while
aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...
s were only present on the lower wings. The outer wing panels folded around the hinges of the rear spar. The fuel system was gravity fed from a 22-gallon
aerofoil An airfoil (American English) or aerofoil (British English) is the cross-sectional shape of an object whose motion through a gas is capable of generating significant lift, such as a wing, a sail, or the blades of propeller, rotor, or turbine. A ...
tank positioned above the fuselage on six struts. The tail unit was of a similar construction to the mainplanes, its span was increased in comparison to that of the Blackbird IV, and also featured a horn balanced
rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adverse ya ...
; furthermore, the elevator could be
trimmed ''Trimmed'' is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by Harry A. Pollard and featuring Hoot Gibson. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film. Cast * Hoot Gibson as Dale Garland * Patsy Ruth Mille ...
using an adjustable via spring-loading, controlled via a lever in the cockpit.Jackson 1968, pp. 330-331. It featured a
conventional undercarriage Conventional landing gear, or tailwheel-type landing gear, is an aircraft undercarriage consisting of two main wheels forward of the center of gravity and a small wheel or skid to support the tail.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms ...
that was fixed in place. The mainwheels were set wide apart and divided, being supported on
telescopic A telescope is an instrument designed for the observation of remote objects. Telescope(s) also may refer to: Music * The Telescopes, a British psychedelic band * ''Telescope'' (album), by Circle, 2007 * ''The Telescope'' (album), by Her Space H ...
legs that incorporated steel springs with oil dampers. On the underside of the rear fuselage, almost directly below the tail unit, was a sprung tailskid. The engine, of which various models could be fitted, was fixed upon a tubular steel mounting attached directly to a fireproof bulkhead; a 2.5 gallon oil tank was mounted beneath these bearers. Cooling air entered via the front of the fuselage, passed across the engine, and exited via fluting built into the fuselage after of the engine bay.


Into flight

On 10 December 1931, the prototype B-2 (registered ''G-ABUW'') performed its maiden flight at Brough.Donald 1997, p. 127. On 27 June 1932, it made its first public appearance at the
Society of British Aerospace Companies The Society of British Aerospace Companies, formerly Society of British Aircraft Constructors, known as SBAC, was the UK's national trade association representing companies supplying civil air transport, aerospace defence, homeland security an ...
' airshow at
Hendon Aerodrome Hendon Aerodrome was an aerodrome in London, England, that was an important centre for aviation from 1908 to 1968. It was situated in Colindale, north west of Charing Cross. It nearly became a central hub of civil aviation ("the Charing Cros ...
; ten days later, it participated in the
King's Cup air race The King's Cup air race is a British handicapped cross-country event, which has taken place annually since 1922. It is run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association. The King's Cup is one of the most prestigious prizes of the ...
around England, alongside the first production aircraft (registered ''G-ABWI''), finishing in 18th and 19th place respectively. There was relatively little difference between the two aircraft, save for the latter having been outfitted with a metal propeller sourced from Fairey-Reed. In March 1933, having completed testing and participated in numerous demonstration flights, the prototype was put to use at the Brough Reserve School as a routine trainer aircraft alongside several other production aircraft. The prototype was powered by a single de Havilland Gipsy III engine, capable of. The subsequent production aircraft were equipped with either the
de Havilland Gipsy Major The de Havilland Gipsy Major or Gipsy IIIA is a four-cylinder, air-cooled, inverted inline engine used in a variety of light aircraft produced in the 1930s, including the famous Tiger Moth biplane. Many Gipsy Major engines still power vintage ...
and 120 hp Cirrus Hermes IV engines were also fitted to production aircraft.Jackson 1968, pp. 333, 336. The prototype proved to be relatively trouble-free during flight testing, it was also found to be very manoeuvrable. It was also relatively forgiving on its pilots, even while taxiing with strong winds present, while the controls remained effective even just above stalling speeds; it was also easy to sideslip for positioning prior to landing. During early 1932, the first production aircraft made its first flight.Jackson 1968, p. 331.


Operational history

Blackburn chose to market the B-2 primarily towards the military trainer market.Jackson 1968, p. 332. For this purpose, the prototype B-2 was shipped to Lisbon for evaluation by Portugal during September 1932. Although the aircraft reportedly performed well in this evaluation and drew some favourable comments from the reviewing officials, the Portuguese had a preference for a
tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...
cockpit layout, and ultimately opted to procure the rival de Havilland Tiger Moth trainer instead.Jackson 1974, p. 219. To raise the B-2's profile amongst the general public and potential buyers, numerous aircraft were participated in various air races and aerobatic displays to demonstrate its capabilities.Jackson 1968, pp. 331-333. In the Grimsby News Race of June 1933, one B-2 piloted by T. Neville Stack was able to secure second place, having attained an average speed of 93 mph; during the Kings Cup air race of July 1934, another, piloted by H. M. David, came in second place with an average speed of 112.75 mph.Jackson 1968, pp. 332-333. The B-2 would not ever become a successful export product amongst the various international military airwings, however, Blackburn opted to continue production of the type to equip various civilian flying schools across the United Kingdom that were increasingly being engaged in the training of pilots for the Royal Air Force under the RAF expansion scheme. Several of these B-2 equipped flying schools were actually owned by Blackburn, such as those at
Brough Aerodrome Brough Aerodrome was a private use aerodrome located at Brough, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is now disused with the last known flight out of the airfield occurring in 2011. The airfield closed in 2013. It is planned that the sit ...
and London Air Park, Hanworth. A total of 42 B-2s, including the prototype, were produced, with production continuing until 1937.Jackson 1968, pp. 333–334. The final three B-2s were sold to the Air Ministry and promptly issued to the Brough flying school, where they were operated in RAF markings. On the outbreak of the Second World War, all of the B-2s based at Hanworth were moved to Brough, where the two training schools merged, becoming No. 4 Elementary Flying Training School.Jackson 1968, p. 334. The school at Brough continued to be operated by Blackburn while its aircraft continuing to operate under civilian registrations (although they were repainted with wartime training markings with yellow fuselages, camouflaged wings and RAF roundels).Jackson 1974, p. 220. During February 1942, the remaining aircraft were transferred to the RAF, where they were assigned to the
Air Training Corps The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a British Youth organisations in the United Kingdom, volunteer-military youth organisation. They are sponsored by the Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Ministry of Defence and the Royal Air Force. The majorit ...
(ATC). However, the ATC did not typically fly the type, instead opting to use their B-2s as instructional airframes. Several of these airframes would still be used for instruction purposes over 20 years later.Jackson 1968, pp. 334–335.


Operators

; * Royal Air Force ** No. 4 EFTS


Survivors

Only two B-2s survived to fly in the postwar era; one of these was lost in a crash on 16 June 1951.Jackson 1974, pp. 220–221. The sole survivor (''G-AEBJ'') has been preserved and was originally maintained in airworthy condition by Blackburn (which was absorbed into
British Aerospace British Aerospace plc (BAe) was a British aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was at Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire. Formed in 1977, in 1999 it purchased Marconi ...
during the 1970s). By 2007, G-AEBJ was located with the
Shuttleworth Collection The Shuttleworth Collection is a working aeronautical and automotive collection located at the Old Warden Aerodrome, Old Warden in Bedfordshire, England. It is the oldest in the world and one of the most prestigious, due to the variety of ol ...
at
Old Warden Old Warden is a village and civil parish in the Central Bedfordshire district of the county of Bedfordshire, England, about south-east of the county town of Bedford. The 2011 census shows its population as 328. The Shuttleworth Collection of ...
. Another fuselage was for many years seen up a tree in an Essex scrapyard before being rescued in the 1980s. This aircraft displays two identities, ''G-ACBH'' and ''G-ADFO'', and is preserved, still wearing its original paint, at the
South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum The South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum (SYAM) is a Volunteer led museum located at Lakeside in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It occupies the former site of the Royal Air Force Station, RAF Doncaster. The museum occupies the last remaining ...
.


Specifications (B-2)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * *


External links


Audio recording of the Blackburn B2
{{Blackburn aircraft 1930s British civil trainer aircraft B-02 Single-engined tractor aircraft Biplanes