Hesham: That 'R.A.B. 15' comings from the rudder markings on Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation's
Elementary Trainer prototype. Those markings read: R.A.B. No. 15. This suggests that the
Elementary Trainer was actually the 15th airframe built ... the preceding 13 or 14 being the Caudron type trainers built for the Ruffy-Baumann School of Flying.
I say '13 or 14' because there was also the sole
Advanced Trainer. In the one photo I have seen (attached, below), the
Advanced Trainer has no rudder markings. So, the
Advanced Trainer could have been 'R.A.B. No. 14' or R.A.B. No. 16'.
The Ruffy-Baumann designs were initially built for the Ruffy-Baumann School of Flying. The flying school was established at Hendon by Felix Ruffy (as the Ruffy School of Flying in Nov 1914). In early 1915, Ruffy was joined by GW Beatty's chief pilot instructor, Edouard Baumann, [1] and the firm became the Ruffy-Baumann School of Flying (or simply the Ruffy-Baumann School).
The Ruffy-Baumann School operated Caudron-type tractor biplanes - up to 12 x G.2s plus a G.3. [2] During 1915, the school also operated a 50 hp Ruffy-Baumann biplane and a 60 hp Ruffy-Baumann biplane. Both are described as dual-control Caudron types. By June 1916, the school had a second 60 hp Ruffy-Baumann biplane. By July 1916, a second 50 hp Ruffy-Baumann biplane was in service.
On 01 Jan 1917, the firm was registered as Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation Co., Ltd. (with £50,000 capital) under directors Felix Ruffy and RS Arnell. [3] The new company took over both the flying school and the 'manufacturing plant'. Although the 'R.A.B.' rudder markings obviously stood for 'Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann', the name Ruffy-Baumann name was still commonly used for both aircraft and flying school.
In March 1917, the War Office took over training operations at Hendon aerodrome and Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation Co. moved to the Acton aerodrome. Later in 1917, design was begun on two new training biplanes - the
Advanced Trainer (a single-seat, single-bay biplane powered by a 60 hp 6-cylinder Anzani radial) and the dual-control
Elementary Trainer (powered by a 70 hp Renault Type WB V-8 engine).
The
Advanced Trainer was what would now be called a Fighter Lead-In Trainer. That makes sense as the flying school had trained the likes of Albert Ball and Willy Coppens. But nothing seems to have come of the
Advanced Trainer. The
Elementary Trainer would be refined (by JA Peters) to become the sole Alliance P.1 of 1919.
The corporate name change was the result of Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation being absorbed into the Alliance Aeroplane Co. Ltd. in 1918. Alliance was a re-branding of the Hammersmith, west London furniture factory of Waring & Gillow which had been license-building Airco and other aircraft designs. [4] Alliance now wanted to expand into building original aircraft designs.
In the meantime, officialdom judged training quality at the flying school to have suffered and, in mid-1918, Air Command order training of military pilots at Acton to cease. In effect, Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation business activities were at an end. But newly-formed Alliance needed a flying field and an on-site assembly shed. Buying Ruffy, Arnell and Baumann Aviation gained Alliance both.
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Ruffy-Baumann Aircraft
Ruffy-Baumann 50 hp biplane
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1915/1915%20-%200515.html
Ruffy-Baumann 60 hp biplane (construction details)
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1916/1916%20-%200583.html
Elementary Trainer - aka 'R.A.B. 15' (from R.A.B. No. 15 markings)
Advanced Trainer - (R.A.B. No. ??)
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[1] Note
Edouard Baumann, not 'Edward'. Researching Ruffy-Baumann, you will also see the name Ami Baumann. Ami Baumann worked as an instructor at the flying school alongside Edouard and Felix Ruffy (some sources list Ami as a cousin, others as a brother).
[2] At least one of the G.2s was, as mentioned in your clipping the James Bros. No.2 (Henry Howard James and John Herbert James) moved to Hendon in Feb 1915.
[3] Richard Sayer Arnell (1879-1952), his son was the composer Tony Arnell.
[4] Samuel Waring of Waring & Gillow also managed Nieuport and General Aircraft Co. and BAT.
SOURCES
https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1917/1917%20-%200026.PDF
https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1917/1917%20-%200052.html
http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft29680.htm
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3366165/London-furniture-factory-Waring-Gillow-built-planes-WWI-WWII.html
The Aeroplane, 07 July 1915
The Aeroplane, 12 July 1916
A World War 1 Adventure, by 'House of Harkness V' (Bruce W Harkness, et al), pp 71-72
British Aircraft before the Great War, Michael H Goodall & Albert E. Tagg, Schiffer, 2004
Kites, Birds & Stuff: Over 150 Years of British Aviation, P. D. Stemp, Lulu, pg 90
BTW: I've seen 'Ruffy-Baumann-Moore' listed as well. I believe this is a garbling of contemporary Hendon activities - somehow including JH Moore, an instructor for rival L and P (London and Provincial Aviation Co.).
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