Wight Pusher Seaplane

Pusher Seaplane
Role	Biplane floatplane
Manufacturer	John Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft)
First flight	1910s
Introduction	1910s
Primary user	Royal Naval Air Service
Number built	11

The Wight Pusher Seaplane was a British twin-float patrol seaplane produced by John Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft).

Design and development

The Pusher Seaplane or Navyplanedesigned by Howard T Wright was an enlarged version of the first successful product of the aircraft department of John Samuel White & Company Limited (Wight Aircraft), the Wight Seaplane No.2. The aircraft was an unequal-span pusher biplane with five-bay wings mounted on two long floats. It was powered by a single 200 hp (149 kW) Salmson Canton Unné water cooled radial engine. It was exhibited at the 1914 Olympia Air Show in March that year, and was first flown on 8 April. It exhibited good take-off, climb performance and endurance, with these properties giving rise to orders from both the British Royal Naval Air Service, who ordered three and the German Kaiserliche Marine, who also ordered three. The German aircraft were taken over by the British at the outbreak of the First World War.

Orders for a further seven Improved Navyplane Type A.I followed, these having a stronger airframe, folding wings and a 8 ft (2.4 m) greater wingspan, but retaining the Salmson engine. A further four aircraft were built powered by a 225 hp (168 kW) Sunbeam engine, known as the Improved Navyplane Type A.II.

Operational history

The Navyplanes were used for maritime reconnaissance missions over the North Sea, while four of the improved Navyplanes were sent to the Dardanelles to serve in the Gallipoli Campaign. The four Sunbeam powered aircraft proved unsuccessful owing to unreliability of the powerplant, and only saw limited use.

Operators

United Kingdom

• Royal Naval Air Service

Specifications (Seaplane)

Data from The Olympia Aero Show at a Glance

General characteristics

• Crew: 2

Performance

• Endurance: 6 hours.

References

• "The Olympia Aero Show at a Glance". Flight (14 March 1914): pp.260-261. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
• "Wight Seaplane (J. Samuel White and Co. Ltd.)". Flight (28 March 1914): pp.336-337. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
• London, Peter (1994). "Island Pioneer:Aircraft Production Origins on the Isle of Wight". Air Enthusiast (No.56 Winter 1994): 71–77. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |month= and |coauthors= (help)