The Norman Thompson N.T.4 was a twin-engined

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...

of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Although less well known than similar Curtiss and Felixstowe flying boats, 50 were ordered for Britain's

Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty (United Kingdom), Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British ...

Development and design

The White and Thompson company was formed by Norman Thompson and Douglas White in 1912 at

Bognor Regis Bognor Regis (), also known as Bognor, is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns include Littleham ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

to design and build aircraft.Goodall 1995, pp. 7–8. It built several models of aircraft in small numbers, before being renamed the

Norman Thompson Flight Company The Norman Thompson Flight Company was a British aircraft manufacturer specialising in the construction of flying boats. It was formed as the White and Thompson Company in 1912, and designed and built the Norman Thompson NT.4 patrol aircraft a ...

in September 1915. The first aircraft to be produced by the renamed company was a twin-engined patrol flying boat, the Norman Thompson N.T.4. This was a three bay

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 ...

Hispano-Suiza Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft engines, trucks and weapons. ...

engines mounted between the wings and was fitted with an enclosed, heavily glazed cockpit for its four-man crew. An initial order for ten aircraft for the

was placed in December 1915, with the first prototype flying in October 1916.Goodall 1995, pp.44–45. Further orders were placed in 1917 bringing the total ordered to 50. Production continued through 1917, but in 1918, following a change in policy on anti-submarine aircraft, the final contract for 20 aircraft was cancelled.Goodall 1995, p.49. Total production was 26 aircraft, continuing until June 1918.Goodall 1995, pp.49,53. Norman Thompson produced a revised design to meet the requirements of Admiralty Specification N.2C, to replace the N.T.4. This type, designated the Norman Thompson N.2C used the wings of the N.T.4 but with a new hull resembling that of the Porte/Felixstowe boats. Power was by two 200 hp (149 kW)

Sunbeam Arab The Sunbeam Arab was a British First World War-era aircraft engine, aero engine. Design and development By 1916 the demand for aero-engines was placing huge demands on manufacturing. To help ease the pressure, the War Office standardised on e ...

engines. The first prototype attempted to fly on 1 August 1918, but required changes to the hull before it was capable of take-off. Water handling remained poor, and the aircraft was tail heavy in flight. It was abandoned following the end of the war.London 2003, pp.39–40.

Operational history

The N.T.4 entered service with the RNAS in 1916, being operated on anti-submarine patrols over the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

and

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

but were mainly used for training, as larger aircraft were more suitable for patrol purposes.Goodall 1995, p.47. Many of the aircraft produced in 1918 were delivered straight to storage and were never used.Goodall 1995, p.49. Owing to its similarity in size to the

Curtiss H-4 The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the £10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, t ...

, it shared the Curtiss flying boat's nickname of ''America'', being renamed ''Small America'' when the larger

Curtiss H-12 The Curtiss Model H was a family of classes of early long-range flying boats, the first two of which were developed directly on commission in the United States in response to the £10,000 prize challenge issued in 1913 by the London newspaper, t ...

(known as ''Large America'') and Felixstowe F.2 flying boats came into service.Thetford 1978, p.266-267

Variants

;N.T.4 :Initial batch of six aircraft. Powered by two 150 hp Hispano-Suiza engines. ;N.T.4A :Main production type. Powered by 200 hp geared Hispano-Suiza engines. 44 built. ;N2C :Improved version with hull similar to Felixstowe flying boats, powered by two

engines. Two prototypes only built in 1918.Donald 1997, p. 695

Operators

; *

Specifications (N.T.4A)

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

Norman Thompson N.T.4
British Aircraft Directory {{Norman Thompson aircraft 1910s British patrol aircraft Flying boats Twin-engined pusher aircraft N.T.4 Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1916