Roe III Triplane

The Roe III Triplane was an early British aircraft. In configuration, it was similar to the Roe II Triplane, with a triplane tailplane and an open-top fuselage of triangular cross-section, but the Roe III was a two-seater, and featured ailerons for the first time in a Roe design. The five (some sources give three) production machines differed from the prototype in having the ailerons fitted to the middle wing (the prototype's were on the upper wing) and in being powered by a Green engine in place of the prototype's JAP.

One example was sold to the Harvard Aeronautical Society, and two others suffered a curious fate while en route to the 1910 Blackpool Meeting - sparks from the steam locomotive taking them the Blackpool set fire to the aircraft. Roe was able to quickly replace them with new aircraft built from spare parts.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Capacity: 1 passenger
• Length: 23 ft 0 in (7 m)
• Wingspan: 31 ft 0 in (9 m)
• Wing area: 287 ft² (26.7 m²)
• Gross weight: 750 lb (340 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Green C.4, 35 hp (26 kW) each

Performance

See also

References

• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. pp. 91. 
• World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 889 Sheet 92. 
• britishaircraft.co.uk