The desire of British aviation enthusiasts to build and fly the replica of the century old first British triplane seems to have hit the roadblock due to safety concerns. The original triplane was made of wood, cotton, paper, bicycle wheels and was propelled by a 9hp motor.
To faithfully rebuild the original, the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and former aeronautical engineers worked hard, using a genuine 1912 JAP engine and recreated 28-inch bicycle wheels. The first triplane’s flight however, was 100 years ago, and modern safety rules would consider it unsafe and unworthy of flight. To make it “airworthy” the team had to make changes in the material used, add a harness for the pilot and modify the propeller.
With all these changes coming in, the triplane became much heavier than the original. While it could be considered safe, the replica failed to take off during two attempts at RAF Woodvale, even though the conditions were favorable.
Via: DailyMail
