Page 17 - David Coles Australian Military Aircraft Book Interior Sample

While designed in France, both CFS4 and CFS5 pictured were built under licence in Britain. Australian Army Flying Museum
DEPERDUSSIN MONOPLANE
Type: Deperdussin Monoplane
Aéroplanes Deperdussin was a French company set up by Armand Deperdussin, a well-to-do silk merchant and flying enthusiast, in 1909. The compa-
ny’s first aircraft, a canard configured contraption, was not successful; however, chief designer Louis Béhereau would go on to produce some of the most exciting designers of the time, not just with Deperdussin, but with its successor Société Pour L’Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD), owned by Louis Bleriot.
Béchereau’s second design was the 1910 monoplane which flew for the first time in October that year. For its day it was fast, and it caught the attention of several pioneering pilots and a number of emerging flight training schools. Further development led to a number of racing aircraft that brought fame to the company by winning both the Schneider and Gordon Bennett Trophies in 1913. More akin to the 1910 model, two- and three-seat military versions were developed for opera- tion with the French Army. Deperdussin also set up a factory in Highgate, London, to cater for orders being received from pilots in the UK, and it was in this factory that Australia’s two examples were built.
In 1912, the very first order of aircraft for CFS was made; two BE.2s and two Deperdussin Monoplanes (known as the Type A, CFS4 and 5). These were deliv- ered in May 1913 at a cost of £480 - plus £150 for spares - each. The ordering of monoplanes, especially in the
(CFS5) Trainer
Crew:
Wingspan:
Length:
Height:
Engine:
Empty Weight:
Max Speed:
Service Ceiling:
Armament:
Serial Numbers:
1
8.76m (29ft 9in) 7.24m (23ft 9in) 2.3m (7ft 7in)
1 x Anzani 3-cylinder Y Air-cooled semi-radial piston Engine – 35hp (26kW)
280kg (617lb)
90km/h (56mph)
Nil (20ft was attained
once)
Nil
CFS4 & CFS5
CHAPTER ONE \\ CENTRAL FLYING SCHOOL (CFS) 1914-1919
9