1912 Blackburn Type D Monoplane

Robert Blackburn was born on the 26th March 1885 and became one of Britain's first aircraft designers and builders. His first aeroplane to fly did so at Filey in 1910 and he then produced several designs over the next two years. The basic 1912 machine was called the Mercury or the Type D monoplane. It was quite an advanced design for the time with all surfaces fully covered and an engine cowling around the top part of the engine. Although the design looks modern it still retains wing warping as the method of lateral control.