Blackburn Kangaroo

infobox Aircraft
name = R.T.1 Kangaroo
type = Reconnaissance Torpedo Bomber
manufacturer = Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Co Ltd



caption =
designer =
first flight = 1918
introduced = 1918
retired = 1929
produced =
number built = 20
status =
unit cost =
primary user = Royal Air Force
more users = Peruvian Army Flying Service
developed from = Blackburn G.P.
variants with their own articles = The Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo was a British twin-engined reconnaissance torpedo biplane aircraft built by Blackburn Aircraft of the First World War.

History

In 1916 the Blackburn Aircraft Company designed and built two prototypes of an anti-submarine floatplane designated the Blackburn G.P. or Blackburn General Purpose. It was not ordered but Blackburn developed a landplane version as the Blackburn R.T.1 Kangaroo (Reconnaissance Torpedo Type 1). The first aircraft was delivered to Martlesham Heath in January 1918. The performance was not impressive but as 20 were already on order they entered service later that year with No. 246 Squadron RAF.

From the sixth aircraft onwards they were powered by the more powerful Rolls-Royce Falcon III engine replacing the 250 hp Rolls-Royce Falcon II . The Kangaroo had six-months of wartime operations and they sank one U-Boat and damaged four others. Aircraft were sold on the civil market at the end of the war. They saw considerable service as converted for commercial use they could carry eight passengers.

Aircraft registered G-EAOW was one of four types competing to win the Australian government prize of £10,000 for the first flight from England to Australia. The aircraft had to make an emergency landing at Suda Bay, Crete with a suspected sabotaged engine, the aircraft and the race were abandoned.

After the war the RAF used three aircraft (named "Wilfred", "Pip" and "Squeak") under contract as dual-control trainers for refresher training but by 1929 the last Kangaroo had been withdrawn from service and scrapped.

Operators

Military

;PER
* Peruvian Army Flying Service;UK
* Royal Air Force
** No. 246 Squadron RAF

Civil

;UK
* The Grahame-White Aviation Company
* North Sea Aerial & General Transport Company

pecifications

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=Fact|date=October 2007

crew=3
length main= 44 ft 2 in
length alt= 13.46 m
span main= 74 ft 10 in
span alt= 22.82 m
height main= 16 ft 10 in
height alt= 5.13 m
area main= 868 ft²
area alt= 80.64 m²
empty weight main= 5,284 lb
empty weight alt= 2,397 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
max takeoff weight main= 6,287 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 2,852 kg
engine (prop)=Rolls-Royce Falcon III
type of prop=liquid-cooled V12 engine
number of props=2
power main=270 hp
power alt=201 kW
max speed main=98 mph
max speed alt=158 km/h
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 13,000 ft
ceiling alt= 3,960 m
climb rate main= 480 ft/min (initial)

climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
performance more=
*Endurance: 8 hours

armament=
*2× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis machine gun
*Up to 920 lb (417 kg) of bombs

References

*cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)|year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location= |issn=
*cite book |last= Jackson|first= A.J.|authorlink= |coauthors= |title= British Civil Aircraft since 1919|year= 1974|publisher= Putnam|location= London|isbn=0 370 10014 X
* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=343 British Airacft directory accessed 9th October 2007]

External links

ee also

aircontent

related=

similar aircraft=

lists=*List of aircraft of the RAF

see also=