Sage Type 3

Sage Type 3
Role	Trainer aircraft
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Frederic Sage & Co. Limited
First flight	5 January 1917
Number built	2

The Sage Type 3 (also known as the Sage N3 School^[1]) was a prototype British biplane training aircraft of the First World War. It was unsuccessful, only two examples being built.

Development and design

In 1916, the British Admiralty placed a contract with Frederick Sage & Co, a Peterborough based woodworking company which had become an aircraft contractor for the Royal Navy, to design and build a primary trainer for the Royal Naval Air Service. It was required to be robust, with a low landing speed and good visibility. The resultant design, the Sage Type 3, was a two-bay tractor biplane powered by a Rolls-Royce Hawk engine. In order to prevent the aircraft overturning during landing, it was fitted with an additional pair of wheels ahead of the mainwheels.^[2][3]

The first prototype Type 3 flew on 5 January 1917. It proved to be slow, even for a trainer, and was modified with smaller tail surfaces and reduced weight, becoming the Type 3b (with the original design retrospectively designated Type 3a), which slightly improved performance.^[4] However, after a second aircraft was built, the contract was cancelled, and the remaining aircraft of the contract for 30 Type 3s were unbuilt.^[1] The type did form the basis for the Sage Type 4 floatplane, which was ordered into production but cancelled due to the end of the war.^[5]

Specifications (Type 3b)

Data from British Aeroplanes 1914-18 ^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 32 ft 10 in (10.01 m)
• Wingspan: 34 ft 6 in (10.52 m)
• Height: 10 ft 9 in (3.26 m)
• Wing area: 330 sq ft (30.7 m²)
• Empty weight: 1,390 lb (632 kg)
• Loaded weight: 1,980 lb (900 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Rolls-Royce Hawk 6-cylinder liquid-cooled inline piston engine, 75 hp (56 kW)
• Propellers: two bladed propeller, 1 per engine
  • Propeller diameter: 8 ft (2.44 m)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 76 mph (66 knots, 122 km/h) at sea level
• Range: 315 mi^[6] (274 nmi, 507 km)
• Service ceiling: 9,000 ft (2,740 m)
• Wing loading: 6.00 lb/sq ft (29.3 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.038 hp/lb (0.062 kW/kg)
  
• Endurance: 4 hours

See also

Related development

• Sage Type 4

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Avro 504
• Airco DH.6
• Curtiss JN-4

Notes

1. Uppendaun 2004, p.69.
2. Bruce 1957, p.463.
3. Flight 24 July 1919, p.974.
4. Bruce 1957, p.464.
5. Bruce 1957, pp.464, 466.
6. Flight 24 July 1919, p.973.

References

• Bruce, J.M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London:Putnam, 1957.
• ""Milestones" The Sage Machines". Flight, 24 July 1919. pp. 971–975.
• Uppendaun, Bob. "Sage-Like Thoughts:The Products of Frederick Sage & Co". Air Enthusiast, No.110, March/April 2004. pp. 68–69.