Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A - RAF Museum, Hendon, London, UK
N 51° 35.791 W 000° 14.312
30U E 691258 N 5719776
This Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A is located in the "Battle of Britain Hall" at the Grahame-White Factory at the RAF Museum in Hendon, London. The aircraft was built in 1918.
Waymark Code: WMNKVE
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/31/2015
Views: 3
The RAF Museum is open daily from 10am to 6pm with admission being free. Car parking is available but there is a charge. The nearest underground station is Colindale about a 10-15 minute walk away or a number 303 bus passes both the tube station and museum. The co-ordinates posted are for the entrance to the Grahame-White Factory "First World War in the Air" exhibition entrance.
The RAF Museum's website tells us about the Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A:
The SE5a was considered by many pilots to be the best British single-seat fighter of World War One. Designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough, the first production aircraft had the 150hp Hispano-Suiza fitted and were designated SE5. The later SE5a had the 200 or 220hp Hispani-Suiza or 200hp Wolseley Viper engine.
It was used by twenty-four squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force in France, Palestine, Macedonia, Mesopotamia and the United Kingdom, and equipped one squadron of the Australian Flying Corps and two of the United States Air Service on the Western Front.
The SE5 and SE5a were flown by some of the leading British fighter pilots including Beauchamp-Proctor, Bishop, Mannock and McCudden.
A history of this aircraft can be seen here.