1913 RAF B.E.2a Wings (CFS-1 / CFS-2)

The Royal Aircraft Factory in England was formed in 1911 from the HM (Her Majesty's) Balloon Factory and had among its designers was Geoffrey de Havilland who later founded his own company, and Henry Folland - later chief designer at Gloster Aircraft Company, and founder of his own company Folland Aircraft.

Between 1911 and 1918 the Royal Aircraft Factory generated a number of aircraft designs. Most of these were essentially research aircraft, but a few actually went into mass production, especially during the war period. Some orders were met by the factory itself, but the bulk of production was by private British companies, some of which had not previously built aircraft.

Up to about 1913 the model letters came from the general layout of the aircraft, referring to a French manufacturer or designer famous for that type:

• S.E. = Santos Experimental (Canard or tail-first layout)
• B.E. = Bleriot Experimental (Tractor or propeller-first layout)
• F.E. = Farman Experimental (Pusher or propeller behind the pilot layout)

From 1913/4 onwards this was changed to a designation based on the role for which the aircraft was designed:

• S.E. = Scout experimental (single seat fighters)
• F.E. = Fighting experimental (although they remained "Farmans" in the sense of being pushers)
• R.E. = Reconnaissance experimental (two-seat machines)

The B.S.1 of 1913 was a one-off anomaly, combining both systems: Bleriot (tractor) Scout (fighter).

The B.E.2 was designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and first flew in February 1912 with de Havilland as the test pilot. On 12 August 1912, it set a new British altitude record of 10,560 ft (3,219 m). It started production as a reconnaissance machine, and two years later formed part of the equipment of three squadrons - squadrons equipped with a single type of aeroplane were still to come. These were all sent to France shortly after the outbreak of war. The early B.E.2a and B.E.2b aircraft were replaced during 1915 by the B.E.2c.

Well into 1917, the last front-line B.E.2e was withdrawn, long after the type was obsolete. It continued in service throughout the war as a home defence fighter, in which role it was for a time a surprising success, and as a trainer.

Some 3,500 B.E.2s were built by over 20 different manufacturers: an exact breakdown between the different models has never been made, although the B.E.2c was almost certainly the most numerous.

The Australian Federal Government acquired Point Cook in 1913 to establish the nation's first military flying school.

The newly formed 'Central Flying School' started with two officer instructors and a few mechanics. The first military flight in Australia took place on 1 March 1914, and the first training course began in August with four student pilots.

CFS-1 and CFS-2 were two RAF B.E.2a aircraft supplied as advanced trainers along with the two Deperdussin ground trainers as the first 4 military aircraft ordered for Australia in July 1912, while a fifth aircraft, being a Bristol Boxkite CFS-3 for basic training was ordered in December 1912, with all 5 aircraft eventually arriving and being stored in Spotwood before delivery and erection at Point Cook, although the B.E.2a aircraft were last to arrive.

The two B.E.2a aricraft were actually supplied and built under contract by the Bristol and Colonial Aeroplane Company and some delays were incurred in their construction due to modifications and testing at the Royal Aircraft Factory at Farnborough. The first being flown on 15 October 1913 by Geoffrey de Havilland and the second being flown by Wingfield Smith on 17 November of the same year before being shipped to Australia on the S.S. Hawkes Bay and arriving on 3 February 1914.

The honour of the first flight at Point Cook went to Bristol Boxkite CFS-3, with Lt Eric Harrison at the controls, on the 1st of March 1914.

The B.E.2a was only used for advanced flying training at Point Cook, with the bulk of the training being undertaken in the Bristol Boxkite, (with one of the Deperdussins CFS-4 crashing within days of its first flight and the other, CFS-5, being relegated to ground training).

Only two of the first 4 pupils in the August 1914 course, Williams and Merz, were permitted to fly solo in the B.E.2a.

One of the CFS B.E.2a aircraft become the first Australian Military aircraft to serve oversea's when it was crated and shipped to then German New Guinea on 30 November 1914 on the HMAS Una, along with a Farman Waterplane to assist in the campaign to sieze German forces in New Guinea following the commencement of WW1. However as it turned out neither aircraft was uncrated or used, and both returned to Point Cook early in 1915.

The two B.E.2a aircraft remained in service for all eight pilot training courses held at Point Cook up until 1917, CFS-1 was demolished in a crash in 1918 and CFS-2 retired in the same year with the arrival of D.H.6 trainers. In 1916 the CFS recieved an incomplete B.E.2c and it was eventually put into service in 1918 as a B.E.2e as CFS-18 when the balance of parts arrived.

The B.E.2a differed substantially from the later B.E.2e as the earlier aircraft relied on wing warping controls where-as the later aircraft was fitted with conventional ailerons on the wings.

A B.E.2a Biplane at the Central Flying School Point Cook, either CFS-1 or CFS-2.

Our B.E.2a wings are a pair of upper mainplanes or wing panels without ailerons, were acquired from the Engineering Department of the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and are almost certain to be sourced from the Central Flying School at Point Cook, as no other B.E.2a aircraft were ever brought to Australia other than CFS-1 and CFS-2.

It may well be possible that CFS-2 and some remains of CFS-1 were given to Melbourne Technical College (RMIT) on their retirement in 1918 from Point Cook, and a B.E.2 type is reported as being in the possession of "Melbourne University" in 1921?

One wing is resplendant in original military markings with roundel, while the other is unmarked as if repaired with new fabric or new unused, it is not possible to determine which aircraft they were fitted to, or if they were additional spare wings purchased with the original 2 aircraft or later during the 1914 to 1917 operations.

The B.E.2a wings on display at the Australian National Aviation Museum at Moorabbin, are the only surviving remains of the B.E.2a type in Australia, are the earliest Military aircraft components in the museum collection, and are the only other original aircraft components surviving in Australia from the five original 1914 CFS aircraft, beyond the complete Deperdussin CFS-5 held in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.