📌 Boulton & Paul P.6 Biplane (replica) Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton.

BOULTON & PAUL P.6 -

 

The long-established company in Norwich was widely diversified into the making of prefabricated buildings, and a vast array of products from cast-iron carts to motorboat engines. With the arrival of World War One it commenced propeller and aircraft manufacturing, and after this continued to build experimental aircraft, the ''P.6'' was the first.

 

The original P.6 aircraft (X25) was built by the company in 1918 for aerodynamic research purposes, the first flight was in November. Pilot: Frank Courtney. On 1st May 1919, the day the Air Navigation Act came into force, it made the first official business flight in Great Britain, flying the Boulton & Paul sales manager (Mr. R. McWilliams) from Norwich to Bury St Edmunds to complete a deal and back. Pilot: Captain Brook. The aircraft was officially registered K-120 on the 20th May 1919, and G-EACJ later for use by the company sales manager, although there is no evidence that it carried either. It was replaced in April 1920 by Boulton & Paul's second P.9 (G-EAPD).

 

This static reproduction of the Boulton & Paul P.6 experimental biplane was built from scratch by members of the Boulton Paul Association of Wolverhampton to mark the earlier origins of the company, it was done without the aid of the original drawings. It was the centre piece attraction of the Smiths Actuation Systems' exhibition stand at the 2003 Paris Air Show. Metamorphosis images of the components of the P.6 were cleverly transformed into their modern Smiths Aerospace equivalents on a large screen.

 

TECHNICAL INFORMATION -

 

▪︎Wingspan: 25 ft

▪︎Length: 19 ft

▪︎Height: 8 ft

▪︎Engine: 90 hp V.8 R.A.F. 1A

▪︎Maximum Speed: 103 mph

▪︎Empty Weight: 1,300 lb

▪︎Loaded Weight: 1,725 lb

▪︎Endurance: 2 hours 20 minutes.

 

Generously gifted to the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum by the Boulton Paul Association in January 2015.

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