Grahame-White Aircraft List

[hesham]

Hi,

Claude Grahame-White achieved fame as early aviator, ran flying school
at Pau (south-west France) and purchased land at Hendon and developed
aerodrome, with its own schools and factories including his own.

Grahame-White School Bus - was two seat trainer boxkite aircraft of 1910,
may Type-I ?,need confirm

Grahame-White Baby - 1911 - CG-W first design, a pusher biplane with canard in the Wright flyer style,may Type-II ?,need confirm

Grahame-White New Baby - 1911 - Developed from the Baby and exhibeted at the 1911 Olympia Aero Show,may Type-III ?,need confirm

Grahame-White Biplane - was a biplane of 1912,looks like Farman type,may Type-IV ?,need confirm

Grahame-White Lizzie - 1913 - Sesqiplane tractor aircraft built on a Morane-Saulnier fuselage. Aso known as the Tea-tray, may Type-V ?,need confirm

Grahame-White Type VI - 1913 - Military biplane to be used as a fighter rather than a scout. Pusher with an Austro-Daimler mounted at rear of nacelle. Carried three crew and one quick-firing Colt gun. Displayed at the International Aeroplane Exhibition at Olympia 1914. Designed by JD North.

Grahame-White Type VII Popular - 1913 - Pusher sesquiplane with 35 hp Anzani with a four hour endurance. Available as single or two seat models.

Grahame-White Type VIII - 1913 - Hydro-biplane with Anzani or Gnome.

Grahame-White Type IX - 1912 - Single seat tractor monoplane designed by W Rowland Ding. Gnome engine.

Grahame-White Type X Charabanc - 1912 -In 1912-13 CG-W used this large pusher biplane designed by J D North for joy-riding. Also known in the popular press as the Aerobus.

Grahame-White Type XI Warplane - 1914 - Two-seat pusher biplane designed by JD North. Gnome engine, prototype only.

Grahame-White Type XII - was a look like Bristol Boxkite led to develop the Type XV

Grahame-White Type XIII - 1914 Twin float tractor two-seat seaplane with 100 hp Monosoupape built for Circuit of Britain race. Later converted to a landplane. Originally known as the Circuit Seaplane.

Grahame-White Type XIV - was licence built Morane-Saulnier Type G military aircraft.

Grahame-White Type XV - 1915 - 135 examples based on the Bristol Boxkite built for RFC and RNAS as trainers. Known as the Bi-Rudder Bus.

Grahame-White Type XVI ? - was a seaplane,but I am not sure,need confirm

Grahame-White Type-XVII ? - was unknown

Grahame-White Type XVIII - 1915 - Single engine biplane bomber, not completed. Sunbeam Maori engine (285 hp).

Grahame-White Type XIX - 1916 - License built Breguet V, 10 used by RNAS to supplement 25 sent directly from Breguet.

Grahame-White Type XX Scout - was a single seat scout biplane aircraft.

Grahame-White Type XXI Scout - was also single seat scout biplane aircraft.


- To be continued with second series GWE

Grahame-White Experimental - 1917 - Two seat biplane with a 75 hp Rolls-
Royce Hawk engine,may G.W.E.1 ?,need confirm

Grahame-White Giant Aeroplane - 1917 - Multi-engine floated biplane with outer-deck! Eighty passenger project to travel London-New York in 15 hours (seen artists impression only),may G.W.E.2 ?,need confirm

Grahame-White Instructional - 1919 - Twin cockpit, biplane trainer with dual controls with Le Rhone engine. this was completed (and flew?),may G.W.E.3 ?,
need confirm

Grahame-White G.W.E.4 Ganymede/Bomber - was a long-range heavy night bomber biplane,had a twin boom configuration,and powered by three 270 hp Sunbeam Maori V-12 engines,1918/19

Grahame-White Mail Carrier - was a single seat fast mail carrier biplane,powered
by one radial engine,project 1919,may G.W.E.5 ?,need confirm

Grahame-White G.W.E.6 Bantam - 1919 - Very small biplane single-seat aircraft.
At least two built registered K.150 and K.153. Developed into the Express Air Mail aircraft

Grahame-White G.W.E.7 Aero-Limousine - 1919 - Forty seat passenger project.
A triplane with two fuselages, a central nacelle for three engines and the crew

Grahame-White G.W.E.8 Passenger Machine - 1919 - Forty seat passenger project. A triplane with two fuselages, a central nacelle for three engines and
the crew

Grahame-White G.W.E.9 Ganymede/Transport - 1919 - was a twin boom or
twin fuselage transport biplane,converted for civil use by the company,powered
by two 450 hp Napier Lion engines

Grahame-White Dominions - 1919 - Flying boat with two 350hp RR Eagle engines. Two crew and ten passengers, range 500 miles. Lack of money for development halted this project in the post-war economic slump,may G.W.E.10 ?,
need confirm

Grahame-White Touring - 1919 - was an unequal-span twin engined touring biplane project,it was appeared in two shapes,could accommodated four-
seat,may G.W.E.11 ?,need confirm

Grahame-White G.W.E.12 ?


- Any additions or corrects are welcome

 

[hesham]

I finished it.

 

[Apophenia]

You might have credited @Cy-27 since much of 'your' text is simply copied from his 2013 post (even down to his boldings). Giving credit were due would have been both polite and adhering to forum rules.
-- https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...hites-aircraft-and-projects.5844/#post-194427

And, frankly, inserting your speculative designations into the text by @Cy27 isn't particularly helpful. Why not organize your lists by 'Named Aircraft/Unknown Type Numbers'; 'Type Numbers'; 'G.W.E. Numbers', etc.?

 

[hesham]

You might have credited @Cy-27 since much of 'your' text is simply copied from his 2013 post (even down to his boldings). Giving credit were due would have been both polite and adhering to forum rules.
-- https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/th...hites-aircraft-and-projects.5844/#post-194427

You are right my dear Apophenia,I forgot to refer to this post,my apology to
dear @Cy-27.

 

[Stargazer]

Before we begin, let me give a small recap of aircraft that Grahame-White owned and piloted but that were not his own designs or construction (This is by no means exhaustive):

• Farman Type III (used in his London-Manchester attempt)
• Blériot XI (in which he won many races and set records)
• Nieuport monoplane
• Farman Longhorn
• Farman Type 23 Hydro (used in the Daily Mail's 1912 "Waterplane Tour")

Grahame-White also piloted numerous other aircraft in England (his country), France (his source of inspiration—he established a flying school in Pau) and the United States (he met with Curtiss, Burgess, the Wrights and all the early pioneers there).

Now on to the list (I'm not trying to go into too much detail, just giving the general facts for each type):

TYPE I (WINDHAM BIPLANE N°2) (1910)
This was built by the Windham Detachable Motor Body Co. for Grahame-White for a planned London-Paris flight that never materialized. The designation "Type I" is given as such in a Schiffer book. We can assume that even if this was in many respects similar to a Sommer machine, Grahame-White must have considered this his first "design" because it was built to his order and incorporated some changes of his own.

FULTON MONOPLANE (1910)
Though not a Grahame-White design, this Blériot type was built by Grahame-White for J.D.B. Fulton and powered with a 28 hp Anzani engine.

BABY (BURGESS TYPE E) (1911)
This was a single-seat biplane pusher of the Farman layout. It was built by Burgess to Grahame-White's order and never produced in the United States, although some source claims that the Burgess Company purchased a licence to build it as their Model E. It can be easily recognized by the enclosure around the pilot.

NEW BABY (1911)
This was developed from the Baby and built by Grahame-White. Contrary to the Baby, it had no rigid enclosure. Both the Baby and New Baby appeared on the racing circuit at the same time, being variously piloted by Grahame-White or other pilots.
The New Baby was later modified with a single rudder that was split on either side of the elevator.

BOXKITE (1912)
Though many aircraft of that time carried that name (most often as a simple nickname), it is generally associated with Bristol and Farman types. And of course Grahame-White's Boxkite owned a lot to the Farman design. This type can be recognized by the single rudder which prolongs the tail booms.

TYPE VI WAR PLANE (1913)
First type to officially carry a number in catalogues and publications of the time, this was a two-seat biplane pusher with unequal-span wings, designed by J. D. North. Though meant for combat and equipped with one quick-firing Browning Colt gun, it was used as a fighter rather than a scout.

TYPE VII "POPULAR" (1913)
This was a low-cost pusher sesquiplane with a four hour endurance, meant to popularize aviation. Two very different versions of the Popular were marketed: a single-seater and a two-seat model (though the latter was apparently not built). The sole example built was acquired by the War Office as No.283.

TYPE VIIc (1913)
Derived from the Boxkite, rather than the Type VII, this appears to be a variation evolved under Mr. Bill Law prior to the appointment of J.D. North as chief designer. It is so different indeed that it is even surprising it could be considered as a sub-type of the above... The sole example built was acquired by the War Office as No.354.

TYPE VIII TRACTOR HYDRO-BIPLANE (1913)
It was a tractor biplane seaplane of unequal span, also designed by J. D. North, and meant for private owners. Only one was built; it was later modified as a landplane and acquired by the Royal Flying Corps, but was soon struck off-charge.

TYPE IX MONOPLANE (1912)
This was a conventional braced single-seat tractor monoplane with monocoque fuselage, warping wings and twin skid undercarriage, designed by W. Rowland Ding. Test-flown by Desoutter and found underpowered, it was re-engined but found unsatisfactory and never heard of anymore.

TYPE X "CHARABANC" (dubbed the "AEROBUS") (1913)
This was a large unequal-span pusher biplane designed by J. D. North for joy-riding. Its long central pod could accomodate the pilot and four passengers. Only one was built, and its only claim to fame was to be used in the very first parachute descent in 1914.

TYPE XI NAVAL AND MILITARY BIPLANE (1914)
A two-bay biplane of pod-and-boom configuration with unstaggered wings of slightly unequal span, this type designed by J. D. North. was suited to military applications and powered by a 100 hp engine, but remained in prototype form.

TYPE XII "BI-RUDDER 'BUS" (sometimes dubbed the "SCHOOL 'BUS") (1913)
This boxkite-type aircraft participated in numerous races before the war and led to the military Type XV. The designation "Type XII" is assumed to be right for this aircraft because the Type XV has been described as "derived from the Type XII".

"LIZZIE" (also nicknamed the "TEA-TRAY") (1913)
This pleasant-looking sesquiplane tractor aircraft was obtained by mating the wings of a Popular with a Morane-Saulnier fuselage. It could easily be recognized by its very short lower wings, but a modified version appeared in 1914 with two bay wings, giving it a more "conventional" look.

TYPE XIII CIRCUIT SEAPLANE (TYPE XIII SCOUT) (1914)
This twin-float two-seater tractor seaplane was initially built to compete in the Daily Mail's 1914 "Circuit of Britain" air race that was cancelled due to the outbreak of World War I. The Type XIII was later converted into a landplane and marketed as the "Type 13 Scout" but no orders materialized.

TYPE XIV
Apparently the inhouse designation given to license-built Morane-Saulnier Type G military aircraft.

TYPE XV (sometimes called "BI-RUDDER 'BUS" or "BOX-KITE") (1915)
Directly derived from the Type XII,this pod-and-boom military trainer biplane was built in quantity for the RNAS (as the Admiralty "Type 1600") and later the RFC, for a total of 135 aircraft. There were notable differences between the early and late examples produced, but they retained the same designation. The Type XV can also be found as the "G.W.15" in some sources.

B.E.2c
This was the Royal Aircraft Factory type built under sub-contract.

D.H.6
This was the Airco type built under sub-contract.

M.1 TWIN AIRSCREW EXPERIMENTAL (1916)
Little information has survived about this single-engined machine with a counter rotating construction of two four-bladed propellers. One was ordered as A8964 but later cancelled.

TYPE XVIII (G.W.18) (1916)
This was a single engine naval biplane bomber with a 285 hp Sunbeam Maori engine. Although probably completed, all work was halted when Short and Handley-Page types proved more than apt to the task.

TYPE XIX (G.W.19) (1916)
A British-built version of the Breguet Bre.5 for RNAS, of which Grahame-White built 10 copies over the turn to 1916. They were used by RNAS to supplement 25 sent directly from Breguet, and differed by the use of the 250 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle engine.

TYPE 20 (G.W.20) (1916)
Loosely based on a Morane-Saulnier configuration, this single-seat high-speed scout biplane presented an oddly large wing spacing. It remained a prototype.

TYPE 21 (G.W.21) (1917)
Sometimes mistaken for the Type 20, despite considerable differences, this single-seat scout biplane was quite an improvement on the concept, with its unbalanced rudder, slab-sided fuselage, closer wings and the I-shaped interplane struts. It was powered by a rotary Le Rhone engine and tested with both two- and four-bladed propellers. Other similar aircraft by larger manufacturers were already in production and the G.W.21 remained a prototype.

EXPERIMENTAL (1917)
This was an experimental two-seat biplane roughly based on the Airco (de Havilland) DH-6. Certainly one of the most obscure Grahame-White types, it featured a disproportionately large gap and square-tipped prop fit.

GIANT AEROPLANE (1917)
A multi-engine floated biplane with outer-deck, this eighty-passenger project was supposed to travel from London to New York in 15 hours. It appears in an artist's impression only.

"INSTRUCTIONAL" (1919)
This obscure twin-cockpit biplane trainer with dual controls and a Le Rhone engine was reportedly completed but there is no indication that it was flown.

"DOMINIONS" (1919)
This was a flying boat project with two 350hp Rolls-Royce Eagle engines and a 500-mile range that could accomodate two crew and ten passengers. The lack of money for development in the post-war economic slump halted this project.

G.W. E.4 "GANYMEDE" BOMBING MACHINE (1918)
Certainly the most well-known of all Grahame-White types, this twin-fuselage heavy night bomber biplane featured a central nacelle and three engines. It is the first known type to carry the "E" letter used on all of Grahame-White's latter models. The Armistice put an end to the project and the Ganymede was rebuild it as the civilian G.W.E.9.

PASSENGER MACHINE (1919)
This forty-seat passenger presented an unusual configuration, being a triplane with two fuselages and a central nacelle. Though only a project, Grahame-White used it as an example to foster his plans for a rapid development of airlines.

G.W. E.6 "BANTAM" SPORTING BIPLANE (1919)
Two examples were built of this very small single-seat sporting biplane, which is fairly well-known. They were registered K.150 (G.W.E.6) and K.153 (G.W.E.6A).

G.W. E.7 "AERO-LIMOUSINE" (1919)
A luxury transport with folding wings, this was designed by M. Boudot to seat four passengers and the pilot in a glazed compartment between the centre section struts. The sole example was egistered G-EALR.

G.W. E.8 "AERO-LIMOUSINE" (1920)
Essentially a larger E.7, this was a nine-seater limousine project. Construction was started but very probably not completed.

G.W. E.9 "GANYMEDE" ("AERO-LIMOUSINE") (1919)
When the war ended Grahame-White's prospect for military production, he quickly returned to his pre-war civilian ambitions and converted the former E.IV Ganymede bomber into a one-off civilian transport for three passengers and a pilot, registered G-EAMW.

EXPRESS AIR MAIL MACHINE (1919)
This biplane was a direct development of G.W. E.6 Bantam for use with the Royal Mail transport. However, the takeover by British authorities of the Hendon facilities put an end to Grahame-White's aviation building career, and the "air mail machine" was never built.

Unconfirmed/rumored/undocumented types:

• a "Nacelle" Pusher (presumably distinct from the Types VI and XI) which was mentioned at http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/aircraft/42103-breguets-id-challenge-600-a-11.html;
• a Grahame-White type 22 (http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/aircraft/33185-breguets-aircraft-challenge-297-a-2.html) mentioned in passing but believed to be a mistake;
• a "Cycle Car" mentioned in Varese2002's PDF list.

Main sources:

• Claude Grahame-White: a biography (Putnam)
• British Aircraft 1809-1914 (Putnam)
• British Naval Aircraft since 1912 (Putnam)
• British Racing and Record-Breaking Aircraft (Putnam)
• Our First Airways (John Lane, The Bodley Head)
• British Aircraft before the Great War (Schiffer)
• British Aircraft Manufacturers since 1909 (Ian Allan)
• Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1913 (Jane's)
• ...and of course numerous period issues of Flight.

Despite the great care I put in elaborating this list, there could be omissions, approximations, even mistakes, so feel free to tell me about it and I'll edit and update it accordingly. Thanks!