Museum of Science and Industry

A replica Triplane – the machine built by Manchester-born Alliott Verdon Roe for the first all-British flight in 1909 - is being taken out of MOSI this week to tour Britain, and to prepare for flight trials at Woodvale airport, near Formby. The fragile three-winged aeroplane has been recreated by volunteers at MOSI to celebrate 100 years since Roe's tentative flight, of just 900 feet (30.48 m).

The replica aeroplane has been painstakingly built over three years by a team of volunteers, many of whom are former aeronautical engineers from the former Avro factory at Woodford (now part of BAE Systems) in Manchester. The team carried out careful research about the materials and techniques which Roe used, to build it as closely as possible to his original design. Despite this, there are no guarantees that this replica will fly. Roe’s model itself only just achieved flight, and weather, slight changes in design and luck will all influence the ability for the replica to become airborne.

The replica will be showcased at airfields around the country before it is reassembled for flight trials at Woodvale airport in June.

Peter Teagle is designer of the replica Triplane at MOSI, and former chief design engineer at the Avro factory in Woodford.

Peter said: “We used drawings of the Triplane from AV Roe’s son to help create our replica aeroplane, and in doing so we gained terrific respect for Roe as an engineer because we couldn’t really fault his design. We have made some safety modifications to meet modern requirements but we tried to make as faithful a looking copy of the original as we could. For example, there is now a full harness for the pilot, as Roe just sat on a little wooden bench. The replica is also a bit heavier and stronger, which also means it is less likely to fly!”

Nick Forder, transport curator said: “Roe’s flight in the Triplane was an historic achievement, and what better way to celebrate it than to build a replica and attempt his brave effort again? The MOSI team has worked tirelessly in recent months to recreate the Triplane, so we are all very excited to see whether it can actually fly, but the original flew, so there’s every chance that this one will too.

“The team is made up of some very talented former aeronautical engineers, who have helped to build very powerful aeroplanes at the former Avro factory at Woodford. It has been an incredible challenge for them to build an aeroplane as if, like Roe, they had no knowledge of how one works. The replica is slightly heavier and stronger than the original, but Roe didn’t need to worry about health and safety!”

The fragile three-winged Triplane, designed by A.V. Roe, went down in British aviation history when it managed to fly 900 feet (30.48 m) at an average 20 feet (6.096 m) off the ground, on 23 July 1909. The original aeroplane weighed just 320 pounds (145 kg), without its nine horse power JAP motorcycle engine. Its three pairs of wooden wings, covered in cotton-backed oiled paper, and bicycle wheels for landing, meant the contraption was light, and had just enough lift to get off the ground.

The replica Triplane weighs around 60 pounds (27 kg) more than the original, without pilot or fuel, and generates 11 horsepower from a 1912 JAP engine. The team have hand-made a wooden frame from spruce, ash and birch, using modern heat shrink fabric for the wings.

MOSI has one of the most significant collections of aeroplanes in Britain, including several models built by the Manchester Avro factories. A.V. Roe himself was from Patricroft, in West Manchester. The largest aeroplane in the collection is the 1954 Avro Shackleton, which has a wingspan of 36.5m (the same length as the 1903 first powered flight by the Wright Brothers), while a replica of the 1909 Roe Triplane is amongst the smallest and most fragile.

For media information or photos please contact Diane Inglis on 0161 606 0173 or Sarah Roe on 0161 606 0176.

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