View source for Howard Wright 1910 Biplane

<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2017}}
{|{{Infobox Aircraft Begin
 | name=Howard Wright 1910 Biplane
 | image=Howard Wright Biplane (1910).jpg
 | caption=The 1910 Howard Wright Biplane ''Manurewa'' making a flight from Glenora Park, Papakura, Auckland, c. 1911
}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type
 | type=
 | national origin=United Kingdom
 | manufacturer=Howard T. Wright
 | designer=[[William Oke Manning|W.O. Manning]] 
 | first flight=1910
 | introduced=
 | retired=
 | status=
 | primary user=
 | more users= <!--Limited to three in total; separate using <br /> -->
 | produced= <!--years in production-->
 | number built=7
 | program cost= <!--Total program cost-->
 | unit cost= £1,000<!--Incremental or flyaway cost for military or retail price for commercial aircraft-->
 | developed from= 
 | variants with their own articles=
}}
|}
The '''Howard Wright 1910 Biplane''' was an early British aircraft built by Howard T. Wright to a design by [[William Oke Manning|W.O. Manning]]. One was used by [[Thomas Sopwith]] for his early record-breaking flights. Another made the first powered flight in [[New Zealand]].

== Design and development ==

The Howard Wright 1910 airplane was of a configuration then referred to as the [[Henri Farman|"Farman type"]]:
A two-bay pusher biplane with two pairs of booms in front of the wings bearing a single elevator, and four wire-braced wooden booms behind the wings carrying a single rudder half above and half below a fixed horizontal surface bearing a second elevator. The wings had a mahogany main spar braced with piano-wire and a series of short sheet-metal king posts. Removable extensions could be fitted to the upper wing, each of these being braced from by a pair of additional king posts.<ref>Penrose 1967, p. 253.</ref> The undercarriage consisted of a pair of skids each bearing a pair of wheels attached by shock cords.

Originally powered by a 50&nbsp;hp [[Gnome Omega|Gnome]] air-cooled radial engine, the Howard Wright prototype was later fitted with a 60&nbsp;hp [[E.N.V.]] water-cooled engine in order to qualify for the £4,000 [[Maurice Arnold de Forest|Baron de Forest prize]] for the longest all-British flight to a destination on the Continent made before the end of 1910.

==Operational history==
[[File:Tom Sopwith (LOC).jpg|thumb|[[Thomas Sopwith]] at the controls of his Howard Wright biplane]]
The first 1910 Biplane first flew at Larkhill on Salisbury plain in August 1910 piloted by [[Edward_Maitland_(RAF_officer)|E. M. Maitland]]; following a crash and a repair it was lent to Lieutenant L. E. Watkins who later entered it for the de Forest prize.  The biplane was fitted with wireless equipment so it could be tracked as it crossed the English Channel. The aircraft crashed in Kent before it could compete for the prize and was later sold to the War Office for £625: it would be used by the Air Battalion of the Royal Engineers at Larkhill.

The third ENV-engined aircraft was bought by [[Thomas Sopwith]], who after brief ground trials of his new machine on 21 November gained his Aero Club flying certificate (No 31) the same day.  On 26 November he flew {{convert|107|miles|km}} in 3 hours, 12 minutes setting a new British endurance and distance record,<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1910/1910%20-%200995.html "From the British Flying Grounds."] ''[[Flight magazine]]'', 3 December 1910.</ref> and on 18 December, he made a flight of {{convert|169|mi|km}} from the Royal Aero Club's Eastchurch flying field to [[Beaumont, Belgium|Beaumont]] in [[Belgium]].  This was not bettered before the end of the year, so Sopwith won the Baron de Forest prize. This feat was considered remarkable enough for Sopwith to be invited to meet the King, and he flew to [[Windsor Castle]] to do so on 1 February 1911.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1911/1911%20-%200105.html "King George and Aviation."] ''[[Flight magazine]]'', 11 February 1911.</ref> He then took the machine to America, where he made a number of exhibition flights, eventually damaging it beyond repair.

The fourth ENV-powered biplane was shipped to New Zealand in 1910 for the Walsh brothers (Leo and [[Vivian Walsh (aviator)|Vivian Walsh]]) who assembled the aircraft and Vivian Walsh taught himself to fly it. The biplane was then flown by Vivian Walsh in the first public powered flight in New Zealand on 5 February 1911 at Papakura near Auckland.

A Gnome-powered example was used by the Graham White flying school at Hendon, being used there in 1912.  Another Gnome-powered example was entered by Lewis Turner in the 1912 [[Aerial Derby]], but only took part in the speed trials.

An aircraft powered by a 40&nbsp;hp (30&nbsp;kW) Green was used by the Graham White school in 1911.  This was bought by W. C. England, who exported it to [[Rangoon]], where he flew it in 1912.<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1912/1912%20-%200556.html "Our Friends Abroad."] ''[[Flight magazine]]'', 22 June 1912.</ref>
<!-- ==Variants== -->

==Specifications ==
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=<!-- for giving the reference for the data -->
|prime units?= imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|genhide=

|crew=1
|capacity=1
|length m=11.12
|length ft=36
|length in=6
|length note=
|span m=10.96
|span ft=36
|span in=0
|span note=
|upper span m=
|upper span ft=
|upper span in=
|upper span note=
|mid span m=
|mid span ft=
|mid span in=
|mid span note=
|lower span m=
|lower span ft=
|lower span in=
|lower span note=
|swept m=<!-- swing-wings -->
|swept ft=<!-- swing-wings -->
|swept in=<!-- swing-wings -->
|swept note=
|dia m=<!-- airships etc -->
|dia ft=<!-- airships etc -->
|dia in=<!-- airships etc -->
|dia note=
|width m=<!-- if applicable -->
|width ft=<!-- if applicable -->
|width in=<!-- if applicable -->
|width note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=415
|wing area note=38.52
|swept area sqm=<!-- swing-wings -->
|swept area sqft=<!-- swing-wings -->
|swept area note=
|volume m3=<!-- lighter-than-air -->
|volume ft3=<!-- lighter-than-air -->
|volume note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- give where relevant eg sailplanes  -->
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=1200
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|lift kg=<!-- lighter-than-air -->
|lift lb=<!-- lighter-than-air -->
|lift note=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[E.N.V.]]
|eng1 type=V-8 water-cooled
|eng1 kw=45
|eng1 hp=60|eng1 kn=<!-- jet/rocket engines -->
|eng1 lbf=<!-- jet/rocket engines -->
|eng1 note=
|power original=
|thrust original=
|eng1 kn-ab=<!-- afterburners -->
|eng1 lbf-ab=<!-- afterburners -->

|prop blade number=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop name=
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop note=

|rot number=<!-- helicopters -->
|rot dia m=<!-- helicopters -->
|rot dia ft=<!-- helicopters -->
|rot dia in=<!-- helicopters -->
|rot area sqm=<!-- helicopters -->
|rot area sqft=<!-- helicopters -->
|rot area note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|perfhide=

|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=45
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=<!-- supersonic aircraft -->
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=<!-- aerobatic -->
|stall speed mph=<!-- aerobatic -->
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance= 5 hours<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|glide ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ms=<!-- sailplanes -->
|sink rate ftmin=<!-- sailplanes -->
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|disk loading kg/m2=
|disk loading lb/sqft=
|disk loading note=

|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=

|more performance=
<!--
        Armament
-->
|armament=<!-- add (bulleted list) here or if you want to use the following specific parameters, remove this parameter-->
|guns= 
|bombs= 
|rockets= 
|missiles=

|hardpoints=
|hardpoint capacity=
|hardpoint rockets=
|hardpoint missiles=
|hardpoint bombs=
|hardpoint other=

|other armament=

|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
<!-- include as many lines are appropriate. additional lines/entries with carriage return. -->
|see also=
|related=<!-- related developments -->
|similar aircraft=
*[[Bristol Boxkite]]
|lists=<!-- related lists -->
}}

==References==
;Notes
{{reflist}}
;Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
* Lewis, P. ''British Aircraft 1809–1914''. London: Putnam and Co., 1962.
* Penrose, Harald. ''British Aviation: The Pioneer Years 1903–1914''. London: Putnam and Co., 1967.
{{refend}}
<!-- ==Further reading== -->
<!-- ==External links== -->

<!-- Navboxes go here -->

[[Category:Pusher aircraft]]
[[Category:1910s British civil aircraft]]
[[Category:Biplanes]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1910]]