Beardmore Inflexible

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Beardmore Inflexible

The Beardmore Inflexible, also known as the Rohrbach Ro VI, was a three-engined all-metal prototype transport aircraft built by William Beardmore and Company at Dalmuir, Scotland.

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Inflexible
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General information
TypeExperimental Transport
ManufacturerBeardmore
Designer
Dr Rohrbach[1]/W.S Shackleton
StatusRetired
Primary userRoyal Air Force
Number built1
History
Introduction date1928
First flight5 March 1928
Retired1930
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Design and development

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Perspective
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Beardmore Inflexible photo published in Flight magazine, April 1928

William Beardmore and Company had acquired a licence for the use of the Rohrbach principle for stressed-skin construction. Using these principles and drawings supplied by Rohrbach for the RoVI, the Beardmore company built a massive all-metal three-engined transport, the Beardmore Inflexible.

The aircraft was built in sections at Dalmuir between 1925 and 1927 which were shipped by sea to Felixstowe and from there delivered by road to the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Martlesham Heath Airfield where it first flew on 5 March 1928.[2] It appeared at the Hendon RAF Display later in the year. The aircraft was structurally advanced for its time and had good flying qualities. It was also a very large aircraft for the time, having a wingspan of 157 ft (48 m) - around 16 ft (4.9 m) greater than the Boeing B-29 Superfortress heavy bomber of World War II. However, with an all up weight of 37,000 lb (17,000 kg) it was underpowered and, with no interest forthcoming from the RAF for a production contract, the aircraft was dismantled at Martlesham Heath in 1930. It was then examined for the effects of corrosion on light-alloy stressed skin structures.

One of the aircraft's wheels survives, and is on exhibit in the Science Museum, London.

Operators

 United Kingdom

Specifications

Data from Air Enthusiast International [2]

General characteristics

  • Length: 75 ft 6 in (23.01 m)
  • Wingspan: 157 ft 6 in (48.01 m)
  • Height: 21 ft 2 in (6.45 m)
  • Wing area: 1,967 sq ft (182.7 m2)
  • Empty weight: 24,301 lb (11,023 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 37,000 lb (16,783 kg)
  • Powerplant: 3 × Rolls-Royce Condor II V12 piston engine, 650 hp (480 kW) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 109 mph (175 km/h, 95 kn)
  • Service ceiling: 9,350 ft (2,850 m) [3]
  • Rate of climb: 436 ft/min (2.21 m/s) at 2,000 ft (610 m)[3]

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

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References

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