On a global WW1 forum there is long running thread on the machinery used during 1914 - 18. This forum is predominately a land conflict centric community and to date there has been very little about the 1914 – 18 war in the air.
Recently one of the posters has been researching the IWM archives and come across some RFC related photos that I have never seen before so I thought they may be of interest and I would re-post them here.
Firstly all photos are Copyright IWM and images are reproduced strictly for non-commercial research and private study purposes as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised.
I have also just copied the original posters comments for each photo. Obviously they are written for a different audience!
The town of Rang-du-Fliers in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of Northern France, was the location of a RFC/RAF Aerodrome and also a large aircraft maintenance and repair depot.
The first photograph shows intense activity at the RFC/RAF aircraft maintenance and repair depot, with aircraft mechanics stripping damaged aircraft for their valuable spare parts.
RAF aircraft mechanics working on wrecked aircraft fuselages at the RAF maintenance and repair depot at Rang-du-Fliers in July 1918, damaged aircraft were either repaired or stripped for their valuable spare parts.
A salvaged Royal Aircraft Factory SE5a aircraft ' C1902 ' fuselage is brought by trailer to the RAF's maintenance and repair depot at Rang-du-Fliers, where it will either be repaired or stripped for it's spare parts.
SE5a ' C1902 ' was from 32 Squadron, and flown by Lt. F. J. Connelly.
Apparently, it made a heavy landing after a flight on 9th July, 1918, and after inspection was considered too badly damaged for repair, was struck off, and salvaged for it's spare parts.
That report, ties in with the photograph in post 4064, which is dated 12th July, 1918.
An extremely interesting aircraft turntable, in use at the RAF Aerodrome and maintenance and repair depot at Rang-du-Fliers in Northern France.
This aircraft turntable, on which is mounted a Sopwith Camel, can rotate the aircraft through 360 degrees, and is used to check, adjust and re-set the aircraft's navigation compass utilizing the compass points marked around the large dial painted on the ground .
This photograph is dated 12th July, 1918.
Part of the important work carried out at RAF Rang-du-Fliers, was the salvaging, repair and restoration of aero engines taken from damaged or destroyed aircraft.
This photograph, shows RAF mechanics removing the aero engine from a damaged aircraft's fuselage using a block and tackle hoist gantry, the same type of hoist as that used by Army Service Corps mobile vehicle repair units. Having raised the heavy aero engine using the block and tackle hoist, it could then be lowered down onto the wheeled trolley already in position under the hoist, and wheeled to the engine repair shop. Whenever possible, the aero engines were repaired, restored and returned back into service.
This photograph, was taken in July, 1918.
It was extremely important that RFC/RAF aircraft mechanics were skilled in the removal, repair and restoration of all types of aircraft engines, and again, in this photograph taken in the Summer of 1918 at the then RAF Aerodrome and aircraft maintenance and repair depot at Rang-du-Fliers, we see RAF mechanics removing the typically smaller ' Rotary ' aircraft engine from a wrecked aircraft fuselage, so that rotary aero engine can be evaluated, and if at all possible repaired, restored and returned back into service as soon as possible.
Also of note, is the specially designed ' tub ' with the cut-out sides, designed to keep the rotary engine in place when lowered onto it.
Again, showing the wide range of skills RAF mechanics were required to have when working on the various types of aircraft encountered at the RAF maintenance and repair depot at Rang-du-Fliers, in the following 2 photographs, we see a Rolls-Royce 'Eagle ' aero engine which had previously been removed from a damaged aircraft, then fully repaired and restored, and is now being tested while mounted on a special wheeled engine test carriage.
Following successful testing, the restored aero engine would have been placed back into service.
The massive size of the 900 lb V-12 Rolls-Royce ' Eagle ' engine, being in stark contrast to the rotary engine shown in post #4079.
The Roll-Royce ' Eagle ' aero engine was the first aero engine to be developed and manufactured by Rolls-Royce, and was based on their highly successful ' Silver Ghost ' motorcar engine, with the Eagle's engine modified to a V-12 configuration.
The first Rolls-Royce ' Eagle ' engine ran on a test bed at their Derby works in February 1915, with the Eagle's first flight taking place in December 1915 fitted in a Handley Page 0/100 bomber.
The Eagle's V-12 piston, liquid cooled engine, was by 1918 producing 360 hp @ 1800 rpm, with a fuel consumption of 24 gallons per hour.
The RR Eagle aero engine had a dry weight of 900 lbs, was 72.6 inches long, 42.6 inches wide, with a height of 46.4 inches.
Attempting to turn the propeller to start the ' Eagle ' engine.
