Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 – Foto e Video

Le Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War designed and produced at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was also built under contract by Austin Motors, Daimler, Standard Motors, Siddeley-Deasy and the Coventry Ordnance Works. Intended as a replacement for the vulnerable B.E.2, the R.E.8 was widely regarded as more difficult to fly and gained a reputation in the Royal Flying Corps for being “unsafe” that was never entirely dispelled. Although eventually it gave reasonably satisfactory service, it was never an outstanding combat aircraft. Nonetheless, it remained the standard British reconnaissance and artillery observation aircraft from mid-1917 to the end of the war, serving alongside the rather more popular Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8.

fonte: Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 su Wikipedia

text The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 was a British two-seat biplane reconnaissance and bomber aircraft of the First World War. It was designed and produced at the Royal Aircraft Factory, and also built under contract by several other manufacturers. The R.E.8 was intended to replace the outdated and vulnerable B.E.2, and to provide a more capable and versatile aircraft for observation, photography, artillery spotting and bombing missions. The R.E.8 had a more powerful engine, a better armament, a sturdier structure and a more spacious cockpit than the B.E.2. It also had a distinctive large vertical fin and rudder that gave it a distinctive appearance.
Il R.E.8 volò per la prima volta nel giugno 1916 ed entrò in servizio all'inizio del 1917. Inizialmente era impopolare tra i piloti, che lo trovavano difficile da gestire e incline alla rotazione. Tuttavia, dopo alcune modifiche e addestramento, il R.E.8 si dimostrò un aereo affidabile ed efficace in grado di svolgere una varietà di ruoli. Fu ampiamente utilizzato dalla RFC e dalla RAF sul fronte occidentale, così come in altri teatri come l'Italia, la Palestina e la Mesopotamia. Era anche gestito dall'Australian Flying Corps e dalla Belgian Aviation Militaire. Alla fine della guerra, erano stati prodotti più di 4.000 R.E.8, rendendolo uno dei più numerosi aerei britannici della guerra.
Il R.E.8 fu rapidamente ritirato dopo la guerra, poiché era considerato obsoleto da allora. Fu sostituito da aerei più moderni come il Bristol F.2 Fighter e il de Havilland D.H.9. Il R.E.8 fu un aereo importante nello sviluppo della ricognizione aerea e del bombardamento e contribuì alla vittoria alleata nella prima guerra mondiale.