The Hanriot looks like a Sopwith design and is particularly reminiscent of a Sopwith 1½ Strutter. There is a reason for that. French aircraft company Société Anonyme des Appareils d’Aviation Hanriot had been a successful producer of licence-built Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter aircraft, when a decision was made to try to break into the market for single-seater fighters. The task was given to Pierre Dupont, who produced a design with many features of the earlier Sopwith aircraft, particularly the ’1 1/2 strut’ (or ‘W’) arrangement of interplane struts; also, the nose and tail sections were typically ‘Sopwith’
The Hanriot HD.1 was made as light as possible - the wings had main spars of duralumin and ribs of plywood – since the chosen engine was the nine-cylinder Le Rhone 9jb rotary of 120 hp, giving a maximum speed of 115 mph. Weight was a major consideration, and lead to the decision to arm the HD.1 with only one Vickers .303 machinegun, when the standard fighter armament of both sides was at least two machine guns, at this stage of the war. The French did not adopt this highly manoeuvrable fighter to replace the Nieuport 17, as Hanriot had hoped, instead preferring the fast SPAD 7
Fortunately, the HD.1 was saved from obscurity by two Allied powers, Belgium and Italy. Both the Aviation Militaire Belge, and the Aeronautica del Regio Escercito adopted the HD.1 as their standard fighter of the late war period; the Italian company, Nieuport-Macchi, negotiated a manufacturing licence building 900 examples, many more than the Hanriot concern did, at 125. Tenente Silvio Scaroni, the second ranked WW1 Italian ace, had 26 kills – four on the Nieuport 17, the remainder on the HD.1. However, perhaps the most famous exponent of the HD.1 was Willy Coppens, Baron de Houthulst, who was decorated more than 20 times by Belgium, Dahomy, France, Italy, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom. Coppens had 37 kills, a total which included 27 balloons. Some pilots tried to boost the HD.1′s firepower by installing a second Vickers .303″ machine gun, but the increased weight affected performance markedly. In Coppen’s case, he had an experimental Vickers machine gun of 11 mm caliber fitted to one of his personal aircraft, and found that the weight of fire was greatly increased and the effect, especially against balloons, was just what he had hoped for.
Towards the end of the war a small number of French-built HD.2 aircraft (a modified type) were passed to the United States Navy; these were fitted with float undercarriages. Also, Italy sold 16 refurbished examples of the HD.1 to Switzerland, in 1921. These were used by the Fliegertruppe as advanced trainers until 1930; one preserved example still exists, and is on display at Dübendorf, Switzerland.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/12/19/1167871/-Hanriot-HD-1-a-stranger-in-a-strange-land#This particular Hanriot HD.1 is now registered NZ-EAY and owned by The Vintage Aviator Ltd. It is an original Hanriot, built at René Hanriot's `Societé Anonyme des Appareils d'Aviation Hanriot 'works at Neuilly-Sur-Seine, Paris in 1918. It was delivered to 1e Escadrille de Chasse, Aviation Militaire Belge as HD-75. This was the Belgian Air Forces famous `Thistle' squadron, based at the Les Moores (The Moors) near La Panne, Belgium. The unit's pilots included Willy Coppens, Jan Olieslagers and André de Meulemeester. Coppens may have flown No.75 post war at least. On joining the squadron it is thought No.75 was allocated to the flight commanded by de Meulemeester, flying over the Western Front.
In 1919 it was allocated to 7e Escadrille de Chasse at Nivelles. It was entered by the Belgian Air Force in the 1922 World Aerobatic Championship at Nice, France, and won the competition, flown by the ace, Coppens, who having lost his left leg in an accident, tied his right foot to the rudder bar.
Withdrawn as a front-line fighter in 1928 but continued in use for training. Around this time the headrest fairing and the fuel tank it contained were removed. Re-covered with new fabric in 1930. withdrawn from service by Belgian Air Force c1932 or 1934 and sold as surplus to André Drossaert, joining the Belgian civil register as OO-APJ. The registration letters stood from the three Drossaert brothers, André Paul and Jules, who co-owned the aircraft. Flew with oversized tyres.
Ownership passed to ex-Spad pilot Jacques Ledure in 1937, who based the aircraft at Évère aerodrome. Around this time Richard Shuttleworth, founder of the Shuttleworth Collection, was holidaying in Belgium. He saw the aircraft displayed outside a cinema where the WWI film `Wings' was being shown, and subsequently bought the aircraft for £15, one version of the acquisition tale stating on the understanding that the RAF would like to add it to their ‘veteran flight’ for a Hendon display, which was then cancelled, leaving Shuttleworth with the machine. He flew the aircraft from Brussels (Évère) aerodrome to Old Warden, landing for customs clearance at Lympne en route. He then took two days to get the engine running again well enough to get him to Old Warden. After arrival at Old Warden the aircraft was re-conditioned and registered as G-AFDX on 4 May 1938. At this time the aircraft was fitted with a 120hp Le Rhone Rotary engine fitted during its Belgian service.
The aircraft was flown both by Shuttleworth and Allen, later Air Commodore, Wheeler, then a Squadron Leader, now with more suitable, smaller wheels.
Shown at Royal Aeronautical Society Garden Party at Heathrow 1938, where it was flown by Richard Shuttleworth and Allen Wheeler, who flew the aircraft at an RAF display at Andover the same weekend. The Air Ministry granted permission for the flight subject to ‘avoiding populous areas’ and on condition that no flying was done at Heathrow, although it apparently was flown at Heathrow and a subsequent RAF display at Andover.
Shuttleworth's Pup and the Hanriot flew two demonstration flights at Brooklands garden party in 1939. Unfortunately a linchpin was not refitted after a puncture repair and, unknown to Shuttleworth the pilot, the wheel came off during take off. Still unawares, Shuttleworth landed at Old Warden sans wheel. In the resulting crash, the propeller was smashed and the aircraft tipped over, damaging the wings and tail. Shuttleworth climbed out uninjured.
Wings were to have been repaired at the Chelsea Aeronautical College Workshop as a student project with Richard Shuttleworth providing the materials. However they were destroyed in the war - rumour has it that they were burned by the Home Guard in the very cold winter of 1940. Rest of the aircraft was stored at Old Warden by Shuttleworth's `Warden Aviation Co'.
Aircraft sold by Shuttleworth Collection to the late Marvin Hand of San Francisco in 1962 .The original 110hp Le Rhone engine was retained by the Shuttleworth Collection and installed in their Avro 504 in the 1950s. As delivered, the aircraft consisted of fuselage, tail, landing gear minus one wheel and one vee strut, engine cowling minus LH side panel, and upper cabane `W' strut. The pilot's seat was missing and only one instrument remained.
The new owner purchased a replacement engine, a 120hp Le Rhone 9JB from fellow restorer Jack Canary, and in 1964 acquired copies of original drawings from Italy, from which a new set of wings was built to replace those destroyed during the Blitz. One fuselage longeron had to be repaired, although the original turn buckles and fittings were re-used. New wheels were made using Curtis Jenny hubs, Thomas-Morse rims, new spokes and new clincher motorcycle tyres. A new turtle deck and auxiliary fuel tank and fairing was fitted - the original fairing having been re-worked to make a baggage bin. The aircraft was recovered in new man-made Dacron instead of Linen. Restoration work was assisted by Mr Newton Craven. Authentic propeller found in Leicestershire and shipped to US. Authentic components acquired for the Hanriots restoration by Mr K Hand the following:-
Metric altimeter from a Nieuport that crashed on the Western Front in 1918 and was souvenired by a `Tommy'; Manettes (throttle and fine adjustment) from a Henlow scrap heap; hand pump from an RFC pilot; pilots seat from a loft `souvenired' from a crashed French aircraft on the western front; and machine gun donated by an American ex-Hanriot pilot, actually from a Hanriot aircraft.
Restoration was completed and a 10-minute maiden flight by Walter Addems took place from Sonoma County Airport, Santa Rose, California in 1968. The only problem was slight tail-heaviness which was soon remedied. The restored aircraft was one of the only five surviving HD-1s. Registered as N-75. For Marvin Hand’s account of flying the aircraft, see WWI Aero August 2003 pp.87-89.
Transported in World Airways Boeing 747 to appear at the Paris Air Show in 1973. Though scheduled to fly at the show bad weather prevented this. Its appearance was rather overshadowed by the crash of the Tu-144 `Concordski' at the show.
It seems the aircraft flew little on its return to the US, being stored in a hanger at Schelleville. In 1978 Mr Hand presented it to the Royal Air Force Museum via Battle of Britain Museum Foundation Inc., Washington DC for tax-deductible reasons. Collected by RAF Hercules from San Francisco Airport and delivered to RAF Lynham in Jan 1979 and then transported to RAFM Restoration Centre at Cardington. The Hanriot was then restored by a team led by M P Sayer. Dacron covering replaced by authentic Irish Linen, and aircraft painted in its 1918 colours as a le Escadrille aircraft. Engine probably exchanged with Shuttleworth Collection. Moved from Cardington to Hendon where it remained on display until 2003 when it was moved to the newly rebuilt Graham White Factory building.
The original Belgian Hanriot HD 1 No 78 survives at Brussels Air Museum.
In March 2013 the RAF Museum (RAFM) announced it had traded a pair of their vintage aircraft, a Hanriot H.D.1 and a Farman F.40 for Vintage Aviator Ltd. reproductions of the Sopwith Snipe, Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 and an Albatros D.Va. While some eyebrows might be raised by the trade of genuine vintage aircraft for reproductions, a spokesman from the RAFM put it fairly succinctly: “From a curatorial perspective the museum is exchanging artifacts which have no connection with the history of the RAF with ones incorporating extensive original material that significantly enhance the collection, and greatly assist in interpretation of the RAF’s early history – particularly as we approach the First World War Centenary.”
As at the time of writing Gene De Marco has had a couple of hours flight time on the Hanriot, much to the shock of the RAF Museum (according to Gene). I hope to get the opportunity for more photos, particularly the cockpit, sometime soon.
Some more photos can be viewed here:
http://s1011.photobucket.com/user/Jamo_kiwi/library/Hanriot%20HD1?sort=6&page=1
