284:
with the behaviour of the aircraft the crew decided to take-off. The tail was off the ground but it was still running on the main wheels, intermittently lifting off. When the top two engines were started the aircraft pitched forward, burying the nose into the ground and injuring all on board with the pilots severely injured. Fortunately there was no fire as someone, presumed to be one of the pilots, turned off the engines. Rawlings died after reaching hospital and Dunn died of his injuries two days later.
300:
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with
Rawlings as his assistant pilot) and five others (Captain Wilson of the Air Ministry, Lt Adams in charge of engines, superintendent of the department at the RAE Mr Grosert, and two mechanics) was taxied around the landing field in a "mile-wide circle" using only the four lower engines. Satisfied
287:
Later analysis suggested that the upper engines were so far above the fuselage that they forced the nose down when driven up to full power. The situation may not have been helped by the addition of 1,000 pounds (450 kg) of lead ballast in the nose against the wishes of
Tarrant.
235:
magazine. The pilots were situated in the nose, with a partition separating them from the engineer's station and the engine controls mounted on either side of the opening in the partition. The fuel tanks were in the top and sides of the fuselage to maintain the clear internal space.
250:
The aircraft was built at
Farnborough in a large balloon shed. Work on the aircraft had stopped at the end of the First World War, when it was no longer needed as a bomber. It was later completed with the design altered to allow it to be used as a commercial or transport aircraft.
208:
The final design had a wingspan of over 131 ft (40 m), with the central wing of much greater span than the other two. The upper wing was 37 ft (11 m) above the ground. Four engines were mounted in
894:
217:
between the middle and upper wings, directly above the lower pairs. The tractor engines used two-bladed propellers, the pushers four-bladed ones. Ailerons were fitted only on the middle wing, which
262:
was given this task. In her own words "Mr. Tarrant was an inspired timber merchant who dreamed of a super-Camel. It hadn't a chance. It was too big, too heavy - that wasn't its fault, but Grade A
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engines. However delays in development of the engines meant these would be unavailable and so the aircraft was redesigned to use six 450 hp
884:
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728:
270:). In my language 3,500 instead of 5,500 lb/sq in.". Tragically, her mathematical analysis was not heeded.
210:
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at
Farnborough on 26 May 1919. Wheeled out at daybreak the Tabor, with two pilots (Captain Frederick Dunn
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The monocoque construction gave a large open space within the fuselage described as the length of a
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and was briefly the world's largest aircraft. It crashed, with fatalities, on its first flight.
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1,200 mi (1,932 km, 1,043 nmi) estimated with 10,000 lb fuel and 9,000 lb load
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55:
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formed the fuselage structure. Most of the wood construction was carried out at
Byfleet.
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Construction was primarily in wood with conventional tri-plane strut-braced wings and a
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136:. In late 1917 Tarrant assembled a design team, led by Walter Barling, hired from the
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W-12 water-cooled piston engine (four tractor, two pusher), 450 hp (336 kW) each
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605:. Vol. XI, no. 19. 8 May 1919. p. 592. No. 541. Archived from
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engines to give a similar power/weight ratio, and a third, upper wing added.
267:
176:
846:. Vol. XI, no. 544. 29 May 1919. pp. 702–703. Archived from
820:. Vol. XI, no. 542. 15 May 1919. pp. 626–632. Archived from
766:
Prins, François (February 2019). ""The big machine is not safe to fly"".
187:
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With the end of the war conversion to a passenger aircraft was planned.
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pairs between the lower and middle wings with the other two mounted in
194:
132:, which had been subcontracted to build aircraft components during the
125:
729:"The Tarrant Tabor: The Story of the Ill-Fatedd British Heavy Bomber`"
794:. Vol. XI, no. 541. 8 May 1919. p. 592. Archived from
578:"Triplane Wrecked at Farnborough - Capt P.T. Rawlings Killed". News.
263:
149:
148:, to design a very large long-range heavy bomber, capable of bombing
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had by now run out and it had to be built of
American white wood (
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The Tiger would not run until 1920 and the project was cancelled
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magazine commented on as possibly affecting their efficiency.
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Adams had flown with
Rawlings in the war when Rawlings flew a
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was asked to check its structural strength. AAD mathematician
108:
was a
British triplane bomber designed towards the end of the
124:, a well-known property developer and building contractor at
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The Tabor was the first and only aircraft design produced by
490:- a design by Barling for a similar aircraft for the US Army
158:
formerly of the RNAS was general manager of the department.
895:
Cancelled military aircraft projects of the United
Kingdom
712:. No. 42112. London. 29 May 1919. col A, p. 9.
582:. No. 42110. London. 27 May 1919. col D, p. 9.
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9,000 lb (4,100 kg) load as passenger aircraft
670:(1st ed.). Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 61–2.
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approximately 4,600 lb (2,100 kg) planned
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39:
34:
20:
708:"Tarrant Triplane Pilot's Death". News in Brief.
668:Giants of the Sky: Biggest Aeroplanes of All Time
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8:
772:. Vol. 47, no. 2. pp. 60–64.
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920:Aviation accidents and incidents in England
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812:"The Tarrant Giant Triplane, the "Tabor""
915:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1919
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452:9.02 lb/sq ft (44.1 kg/m)
422:110 mph (177 km/h, 96 kn)
537:
500:
273:The Tabor's maiden flight was from the
193:The Tabor was originally planned as a
870:http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2099.htm
751:. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books.
556:
544:
7:
520:and bombed the German battlecruiser
446:33 min 30 sec to 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
358:131 ft 3 in (40.02 m)
182:built up from ply veneers. Circular
364:37 ft 3 in (11.36 m)
352:73 ft 2 in (22.31 m)
370:4,950 sq ft (460 m)
152:. Captain Percy Townley Rawlings
14:
298:
26:
736:Journal of Aeronautical History
524:at Constantinople in July 1917
391:44,672 lb (20,305 kg)
385:24,750 lb (11,250 kg)
905:Six-engined push-pull aircraft
397:10,000 lb (4,500 kg)
1:
885:1910s British bomber aircraft
749:The British Bomber since 1914
440:13,000 ft (3,970 m)
326:The British Bomber since 1914
910:Aircraft first flown in 1919
786:"The Tarrant Giant Triplane"
597:"The Tarrant Giant Triplane"
313:Royal Aircraft Establishment
275:Royal Aircraft Establishment
197:powered by four 600 hp
186:formed of wood joined with
941:
747:Mason, Francis K. (1994).
319:Specifications (estimated)
25:
461:0.06 hp/lb (0.099 kW/kg)
256:Admiralty Air Department
165:The sole Tarrant Tabor,
331:General characteristics
211:push pull configuration
838:"The Tarrant Triplane"
666:Gunston, Bill (1991).
247:
172:
138:Royal Aircraft Factory
727:Coles, Simon (2023).
488:Witteman-Lewis XNBL-1
242:
215:tractor configuration
164:
632:Mason 1994 p126-127
925:Aircraft flown once
518:Handley Page Type O
35:General information
850:on 3 November 2012
824:on 14 January 2019
798:on 25 October 2017
609:on 22 October 2012
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444:Time to altitude:
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246:after its crash
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134:First World War
122:W.G Tarrant Ltd
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110:First World War
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56:W.G Tarrant Ltd
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199:Siddeley Tiger
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142:Marcel Lobelle
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852:. Retrieved
848:the original
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826:. Retrieved
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800:. Retrieved
796:the original
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748:
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721:Bibliography
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611:. Retrieved
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95:First flight
82:Number built
74:Primary user
51:Manufacturer
15:
413:Performance
405:Napier Lion
401:Powerplant:
203:Napier Lion
116:Development
98:26 May 1919
879:Categories
854:12 January
828:12 January
802:12 January
742:: 102–194.
613:12 January
557:Mason 1994
545:Prins 2019
457:Power/mass
432:Endurance:
368:Wing area:
268:tulip wood
146:Martinsyde
890:Triplanes
778:0143-7240
769:Aeroplane
710:The Times
580:The Times
532:Citations
356:Wingspan:
344:Capacity:
324:Data from
292:Operators
188:longerons
177:monocoque
482:See also
467:Armament
434:12 hours
180:fuselage
62:Designer
375:Airfoil
362:Height:
350:Length:
195:biplane
126:Byfleet
90:History
843:Flight
817:Flight
791:Flight
776:
755:
696:Flight
674:
654:Flight
642:Flight
602:Flight
522:Goeben
475:Bombs:
426:Range:
379:RAF 15
303:
264:spruce
233:Flight
219:Flight
167:serial
150:Berlin
130:Surrey
44:Bomber
732:(PDF)
495:Notes
338:Crew:
244:F1765
170:F1765
21:Tabor
856:2011
830:2011
804:2011
774:ISSN
753:ISBN
672:ISBN
656:p630
644:p626
615:2011
403:6 ×
254:The
140:and
104:The
40:Type
280:AFC
231:in
155:DFC
77:RAE
881::
840:.
814:.
788:.
738:.
734:.
686:^
623:^
599:.
588:^
564:^
128:,
858:.
832:.
806:.
780:.
761:.
740:4
680:.
617:.
459::
377::
340:6
85:1
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