Page 18 - David Coles Australian Military Aircraft Book Interior Sample

10
light of a five month ban on the flying of monoplanes by the RFC, could be seen as a bit of a gamble; but the continued success of monoplanes in France gave confidence to the people who made the decision to order them.
CFS4 was ordered as an advanced trainer, fitted with the standard span wings and was to be operated by students who had completed training on the Bristol Boxkite. CFS5 was delivered as a non-flyer (having a shorter wingspan of 7.62m (25ft)) and was classed as a rolling taxi aircraft to train pilots in ground handling only.
On 16 September 1914, Lt. E. Harrison made CFS5’s only flight at Point Cook when it was flown to a height of 20 feet and a speed of 80km/h - an experience that must have been quite frightening, as Harrison was the only person to ‘fly’ the aircraft. CFS5 served on in the ground-based role until it was written off in 1918 and retired. In 1920 it was still extant and passed to the Australian War Memorial collection where it was even- tually restored and remains in storage with the AWM. This is Australia’s oldest surviving complete military aircraft.
CFS4 had only a slightly more productive airborne career. It commenced flying on 9 March 1914 at Point Cook; however, barely a week later CFS4 was damaged and although it was repairable, it was considered unsafe and written off. A replica of this aircraft is on display at the RAAF museum, Point Cook.
AUSTRALIAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT
The Short winged Deperdussin CFS5 is now the oldest military aircraft
in Australia seen here at the AWM D.K. Coles