SPAD S-XIII
The SPAD S.XIII was a standard aircraft of the French Armed Forces by the summer of 1917. It was designed in 1916 by Louis Béchéreau. The S.X III was the first aircraft capable of utilizing two synchronized machine rifles. Additionally, it came onto the market because of Béchéreau's efforts and was equipped with a 235 PS strong version of the Hispano-Suiza engine. The prototype flew for the first time on April 4, 1917. In comparison to its predecessor, S.XII, the S.XIII had a clearly improved flight performance. This provided that the first SPAD S.XIII from the series production was already on the front lines by the end of May and remained in use until the end of the war. More than 80 air squadrons were soon equipped with the S.XIII. They contributed extensively to the Allied Forces. Pilots such as Georges Guynemer and Eddie Rickenbacker flew this SPAD model.
Series production was performed in nine different aircraft factories, one of which was Nieuport. A total of 8,742 copies were completed. After the end of the First World War, there were 10,000 orders which were cancelled and over 6,000 were supposed to be licensed and constructed in the USA by three different manufacturers. The model was also in use in France, England, Belgium, Italy and the USA. In the first few post-war years, SPAD S.XIII aircrafts were still being exported to Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Japan and Poland.
SPAD (Société pour les Appareils Deperdussins) was a company established in 1910 that built a successful monoplane. By 1914, the company was overtaken by Blériot. This company kept the token SPAD but it was renamed by the Société pour Aviation et ses Dérives.
In comparison to its predecessor model, the S.XIII possessed a higher performance powered engine and better armament, a larger span, improved ailerons and high rudders and aerodynamic refinements. It had good climbing power and achieved a higher speed. It was also said, however, at lower speeds that the aircraft was difficult to fly and that landing posed problems.
The entire S.XIII was designed for a wooden build with fabric covering. The wing unit of the single-longeroned braced biplane had auxiliary longerons in junction with the bracing. The ailerons were only situated on the upper wings. The empennage was attached to the rear of the fuselage and the fins were braced to it. The entire empennage was made out of wooden construction with fabric covering. The rear wheel undercarriage had a rigid axis and was lined with rubber and the tail skid was constructed of wood.
The improved variation, SPAD S.XVII, was in service shortly before the end of the war. This one-seater fighter plane and reconnaissance plane was equipped with a machine rife and two cameras and was powered by a strong Hispano-Suiza 8F engine with 300 PS (224 kW). It could achieve a top speed of 240 km/h. 20 copies were constructed of this version.
A model of this aircraft can be visited at the Aviation Museum in Paris at the Airport Le Bourget.
Technical data
SPAD S-XIII
| Type | one-seater fighter |
| Manufacturer | SPAD (Société pour Aviation et ses Dérivés) |
| Power plant |
a water-cooled 235 PS (172,8 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8 Bec engine with 8 cylinders |
| Year of construction | 1917 |
Performance
| Top speed | 222 km/h |
| Rate of climb | up to 2,000 m in 5 min. 17 sec. |
| High altitude | 6,650 m |
| Operational range | 515 km |
| Flight duration | 2 hours |
Weight
| Empty weight | 601 kg |
| Max. take-off weight | 820 kg |
Dimensions
| Span | 8.20 m |
| Length | 6.30 m |
| Height | 2.42 m |
| Wing span area | 20.20 qm |
| Crew | 1 person | |
| Useful load/armament |
two forward-shooting, synchronized 7.7-mm- Vickers-MG's at the frontal fuselage | |
| Production quantity | 8,472 |
Stock Quotes
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