Pemberton-Billing P.B.9
The Pemberton-Billing P.B.9 was a First World War British single-seat open cockpit equal span biplane scout aircraft.[1] built by Pemberton-Billing Limited, which later became the Supermarine Aviation Works. Only one P.B.9 was built.[1]
| P.B.9 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Single-seat Scout |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Pemberton-Billing Limited |
| Designer | Noel Pemberton-Billing |
| First flight | August 1914 |
| Primary user | Royal Naval Air Service |
| Number built | 1 |
Design and development
The wings had full span spars with the upper and lower wings connected by four pairs of interplane struts.[2] The fuselage had a fixed landing gear with a tail skid.[1] While designed to allow the use of Grome 80 hp engine the prototype P.B.9 was powered by a 50 hp (36 kW) Gnome rotary engine taken from the company's prototype P.B.1.[2]
Using a set of wings that had been obtained from Radley-England[2] it was designed, built and made its first flight within nine days, though for publicity reasons its designer Noel Pemberton Billing claimed it had taken a week (giving rise to the nickname "Seven Day Bus").[2] It was first flown August 1914.[3]
Although the aircraft performed well only the prototype was built which was later used by the Royal Naval Air Service as a trainer.[1]
Specifications
Data from Thetford 1958[4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 20 ft in (6.1 m)
- Wingspan: 26 ft in (7.93 m)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome rotary engine, 50 hp (37 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 78 mph (126 km/h)
- Endurance: 3 hours
- Rate of climb: 500 ft/min (2.5 m/s)
Notes
- Orbis 1985, p. 2694
- Pegram, page 15.
- Mason 1992, p. 31.
- Thetford 1958 p.379
References
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
- Mason, Francis K. (1992). The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-082-7.
- Pegram, Ralph (2016). Beyond the Spitfire - The Unseen Designs of R.J. Mitchell (Hardback)
|format=requires|url=(help). Brimscombe Port: The History Press. ISBN 9780750965156. - Thetford, Owen (1958). British Naval Aircraft 1912-58. London: Putnam Publishing. p. 379.