Boulton Paul P.111
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| P.111 | |
|---|---|
 VT 935, the P.111A on display at the Midland Air Museum |
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| Type | research aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Boulton Paul |
| Maiden flight | 10 October 1950, |
| Number built | 1 |
| Variants | Boulton Paul P.120 |
The Boulton Paul P.111 (also called Boulton Paul BP.111) was a British experimental aircraft of the 1950s.
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[edit] Design and development
In the late 1940s and early 1950s the British aircraft industry was engaged in many projects to confirm and develop the design ideas captured from the Germans at the end of the Second World War. As part of this activity the P.111 was built for the Air Ministry to specification E.27/46 by Boulton Paul Aircraft Ltd to investigate the possibilities of the delta planform wing.
The P.111 was designed to be the smallest airframe which could couple an engine (Rolls-Royce Nene), an ejection seat (Martin Baker), and a delta wing. The latter could be fitted with a variety of extensions to investigate the aerodynamic effect of different tip profiles. The construction was all-metal with the exception of the wing extensions which were of fiberglass.
[edit] Testing and evaluation
The P.111 made its first flight on October 10, 1950, at Boscombe Down with Squadron Leader Bob Smyth at the controls. Later test flying was carried out by the legendary test pilot, Alexander E. "Ben" Gunn, who described the aeroplane as "touchy" and "like flying a razor's edge". Because of this, and its bright colour scheme, the P.111 became known as the "Yellow Peril" – a "play" on the garish nickname used throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.
After a landing accident in which the retractable landing gear failed to extend, the P.111 was modified during its repairs to improve the flight characteristics, and re-appeared in its new guise as the P.111A with much improved "manners." After a last flight in 1958 it went to Cranfield as a training airframe. In 1985 it was transferred to the Midland Air Museum, Warwickshire, England, where it is still on public display.[1] The P.111 was followed by another delta-winged experimental aircraft, the P.120.
[edit] Specifications (P.111)
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 26 ft 1 in (without nose probe) ()
- Wingspan: 25 ft 8 in to 33 ft 6 in (with detachable wingtips) ()
- Height: 12 ft 6 in ()
- Empty weight: 7,517 lb ()
- Loaded weight: 10,127 lb ()
- Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Nene R3N2 , 5,100 lb st ()
Performance
- Maximum speed: 648 mph
- Service ceiling 35,000 ft ()
- Rate of climb: 9,400 ft/min ()
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
- Convair XF-92
Related lists
[edit] References
- Notes
- ^ Midland Air Museum. Retrieved on 16 March 2007.
- Bibliography
- Brew, Alec. Boulton Paul Aircraft since 1915. London: Putnam, 1993. ISBN 0-85177-860-7.
- Jones, Barry. British Experimental Turbojet Aircraft. London: Crowood, 2007. ISBN 978-1861268600.
[edit] External links
- Midland Air Museum. Has the sole Boulton Paul P.111 on display
- Boulton Paul P.111
- Boulton Paul Museum
- British Aircraft Directory
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