The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E. 5a:
Historical Notes:
The RAF SE-5 and SE-5a (S.E.= Scout Experiemental) represented the most successful machines produced by the Royal Aircraft Factory. RAF had been plagued by accusations and criticism prior to and during the early stages of World War One. This criticism was leveled at the fact that RAF enjoyed a monopoly arrangement with the British government. With its inside contacts and special privileges, RAF was able to squeeze out competitors in several fields, principally in the recon and light bomber fields. One of its more heavily used creations, the BE-2 series, although a stable and easy machine to fly, proved to be a disaster in battle. Yet, RAF's political connections allowed the plane to continue in use all the way through 1917, when some British pilots literally mutinied and refused to fly missions in the "Beast Extraordinary," and its sister, the RE-8 ("Thou preparest a crash for me in the presence of mine enemies..." was a ditty twisted from the Twentythird Psalm in reference to the BE-2c). The wholesale slaughter of BE-2s during "Bloody April" of 1917 (with 14 lost in just six days) sparked a national scandal in Parliament, and the RAF company was placed on the defensive. With the SE-5, the company restored its honor and reputation.The SE-5 was built largely around a new engine, the powerful Hispano-Suiza 150hp aluminum block powerplant. The SE-5 was envisioned as a powerful, fast machine, reasonably maneuverable and yet stable enough for novice pilots to fly. At this, the RAF's design team achieved remarkable success, and the SE-5, and its successor the 5a, proved to be one of the great fighters of the war. Unfortunately for the RAF company, one of the designers, Frank Gooden, lost his life when a prototype lost a wing. However, this led to further work on strengthening the design. Overall, it's construction was fairly common for the era: a wire-braced wooden frame for the fuselage, with plywood covering up to the cockpit. But the wings were strengthened by wire bracing and included several solid ribs to enhance its strength. This construction of the Se-5 allowed the machine to be handled roughly by any pilot, and driven with confidence into screaming power dives (becoming the favorite attack tactic by SE-5 flyers).
Armament consisted of a single Vickers machinegun mounted on the left cowling, and a single Lewis gun mounted on the wing (a few early versions only had the Vickers). The Lewis gun was fitted to a Foster mounting, allowing the gun to be pulled back on the railing and fired upwards at the vulnerable lower side of an enemy plane. However, the Lewis gun did present problems. The double ammo drums carried 97 rounds, and the typical load was four drums. When the drum was exhausted, the pilot had to pull the gun down on the rail, change out the drum, and then return the gun to its original position, ensuring that it locked into the "V" clip at the front end of the mount...... and he had to do this while flying his machine..... and dodging enemy aircraft! The typical method developed in combat was to disengage from the fight and start flying towards one's own lines while gaining altitude, change out the drums, and then return to the fight. There were also early troubles with the Vickers mount. Initially the gun often failed, and sometimes the Constantinesco synchronizing gear would fail, causing a pilot to shoot off his own prop! This was made doubly worse if only one propeller was actually shot off, because the airscrew would continue to rotate, and the surviving propeller would create a violent vibration which could fatally dismember the entire front half of the plane.
The SE-5s were first delivered in the spring of 1917 to the new 56th Squadron of the RFC. Subsequent changes, especially in the engine, led to the modified version known as the SE-5a. Some of the greatest British aces flew the SE-5, such as Albert Ball, Roderic Stanley Dallas, "Mick" Mannock, and JTB McCudden. Mannock shot down more than 50 of his 73 kills in an SE-5, while McCudden found that by using the SE-5s abilities of high altitude flight, he could pursue and shoot down the newer high-flying German reconnaissance machines such as the Rumpler C-IV and Rubild. By the time of his untimely death, McCudden shot down over 20 German recon planes by stalking them at high altitude. Fast, powerful and easy to fly, the SE-5 became one of the primary planes for British pilots over France. Although not as maneuverable as the latest German scouts, such as the Fokker D.VII (and certainly outclassed by the Fokker Triplane), the SE-5 was clearly faster. This allowed British pilots to take initiative in combat, determining when to engage and when to break off. The United States government was sufficiently impressed to order 1,000 SE-5s to be license-built by the Curtiss Company, but the order was canceled with the end of the war and only a few were completed.
Because of its speed and strength, the SE-5 was an ideal machine for "lone wolf" (or "roving commission") engagements in which single pilots patrolled the front looking for enemy recon planes to take out. If caught and in trouble, the SE pilot could simply dive out of the action and extend to safety.
Basic performance statistics: SE-5a (trial report #M.121)
Engine: 200hp Wolseley-built Hispano-Suiza
Weight: empty 1,400 lbs
Maximum speed: 132 mph at 6,500 feet
Climb rate: to 10,000 feet.... 11 min, 20 sec.
Service ceiling: 19,000 feet
Flight endurance: 2.25 hours
Basic Specifications (vary from model to model):
Manufacturer: Royal Aircraft Factory, Farnborough
Dimensions (SE-5a): Span 26 ft 7.5 in; Length 20 ft, 11 in; Height: 9 ft, 6 in; Stagger: 18 in; Dihedral: 5 deg.; Incidence: 5 deg.; Span of tail: 11 ft
Areas: Wings 244 sq ft; Rudder 5.9 sq ft
Fuel: Main tank 35 gallons; oil 3.5 gallons
Armament: single Vickers machinegun mounted on cowling, and single Lewis gun mounted centrally on the top wing; 400 rounds for the Vickers, and 4 drums (388 rounds) for the Lewis gun.
Primary sources: "Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War I, 1919 (1990 reprint); "British Aeroplanes, 1914-1918," J.M. Bruce; "German Aircraft of the First World War," Gray and Thetford; "German Air Power in World War I," Morrow; "Aircraft vs Aircraft," Franks; "Who Downed the Aces in WWI?" Franks; "Aircraft Camouflage and Markings 1907-1954," Robertson et al; "Military Small Arms of the 20th Century," Hogg and Weeks.
Fighting and winning in the SE-5a:
Tactical concepts for the SE-5a and the Spad XIII are in many ways similar, due to similar performance. Once having mastered tactical techniques with one, it is relatively easy to switch to the other. The SE-5a is a stable machine to fly, and it is difficult to spin. However, it is not the most maneuverable plane, so care must be taken how you engage in combat. If you attempt to dogfight alone a nimble plane like the Fokker Triplane or Sopwith Camel, you will not survive. However, in teams or with a numerical advantage, it is possible to get the more agile planes at a disadvantage by luring the enemy into chasing one SE-5, and then coming behind him for the kill. One of the tactics in which the SE-5a excels is the "dive and zoom." Using good climb and superior speed, the SE-5a can be placed above the enemy. You then dive down on them, throttling back only slightly to reduce vibration and maintain a stable gun platform. Snap bursts at the enemy plane, and then pull up at about a 15 deg angle to gain altitude (now, of course, at full throttle). After several minutes you will have disengaged from the fray and gained several thousand feet in altitude. Turn back and repeat the process, focusing once more on the same enemy plane. This takes patience to use this tactic, and most folks on the zone simply don't have such, which is unfortunate. Furthermore, the more nimble players may shoot down your quarry before you come back to hit him again.The SE-5a can fly on relatively even terms with the Fokker D.VII, but don't try to out turn it, especially in a steady turn. It is slightly superior to the Albatros D.V and Pfalz D.III in the turn, and can clearly out power both of these machines. If engaging Albatroses and Pfalzes, you can get involved in a turning dogfight. The SE-5a has the sufficient structural strength to provide it with the ability to take punishment and keep on fighting. In team games, a pair of SE-5as using "dive and zoom" tactics can be deadly, and by using good cover tactics, the trailing machine can catch any enemy plane trying to follow the leader as it climbs out of the attack.
The SE-5as primary weakness is in armament. Because of the unique nature of the Lewis gun, the rate of fire has been reduced (to simulate magazine change overs). Therefore, late model machines with twin Vickers or Maxims have the firepower edge. Thus, it may take several passes by two SE-5as to take out one enemy machine. But patience in this case will be eventually rewarded, since the speed of the SE-5a allows it to easily disengage and then reengage in battle.
