Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a Reproduction - Seattle, WA - Static Aircraft Displays on Waymarking.com

Located at the Museum of Flight are a large number of static aircraft on display. One of them is a Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a Reproduction. The Museum of Flight website contains a page devoted to this aircraft and it reads:

One of the best Allied fighters of World War I, the S.E.5 was considered fast, strong, and simple to fly. Flyers who commonly had nothing good to say about the designs of the Royal Aircraft Factory, had to admit that the S.E. was pleasantly different.

Though well-liked, the S.E. still had its quirks -- flyers found that the fighter was difficult to land, or at least, difficult to land in one piece. The S.E.5 wasn't as maneuverable as the Camel but was much more faithful, with docile handling characteristics that wouldn't kill a novice airman.

In the improved version, the S.E.5a, designers continued to amend annoyances and create one of the war's most venerable fighting machines. Many of Britain's most famous aces, including Mannock, Bishop, and McCudden, flew the S.E.5a into combat.

The Museum's S.E. was one of three aircraft reproductions began by Bobby Strahlmann, Tom Davis, and Gil Bodine in Florida in 1971. It has a Hispano-Suiza 8B water-cooled V-8 power plant along with one .303 Vickers and one .303-caliber Lewis machine gun. This aircraft was completed in 1988 and carries the paint scheme of American ace George Vaughn, who served with the Royal Flying Corps.

A nearby placard highlights this Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a in more detail and reads:

The S.E.5 still had its quirks, though--flyers found that it was hard to land, or at least hard to land all in one pice! And the early model' semi-enclosed cockpit was immediately rejected by the aviators at the front, because it restricted their visibility and was dangerous during the all-to-frequent rough landings. Flyers often gleefully discarded S.E. pieces and parts they deemed "useless" to save weight--the tall headrest, especially, was often sawed off to improve visibility.

Designers continued to amend annoyances, and in the improved version, the S.E.a, they created one of the war's most venerable fighting machines. Many of Britain's most famous aces, including Mannock, Bishop and McCudden, flew the S.E.a into combat.

Type of Aircraft: (make/model): Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5a Reproduction Tail Number: (S/N): NX910A Construction:: replica Location (park, airport, museum, etc.): Museum of Flight - Personal Courage Wing - 2nd Floor inside / outside: inside Other Information:: Not listed Access restrictions: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Photo of aircraft (required - will be interesting to see if the aircraft is ever repainted or progress if being restored)
Photo of serial number (required unless there is not one or it is a replica)
Photo(s) of any artwork on the aircraft (optional but interesting)

Tell why you are visiting this waymark along with any other interesting facts or personal experiences about the aircraft not already mentioned.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/27/2022 r.e.s.t.seekers visited it 10/01/2018 Ulven7470 visited it

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