The First World War - Spad Xiii C1

The SPAD XIII compared well with the Sopwith Camel and Fokker D VII and was liked by its pilots, many of which became Ace's during the latter part of the Great War.

It was designed by Louis Bechereau of SPAD (Societe Pour Aviation et ses Derives) . The maiden flight was on April 4 1917 and it was deployed with front line squadrons by May. A total of 8,472 aircraft were built by SPAD, Bleriot, Levasseur, Bernard, Kellner, Safca, Borel and Nieuport.

It saw front line service from the Autumn of 1917. Pilots liked it; it was fast and maneuverable, and the armament of twin machine guns gave it a formidable punch. The only real drawback was the loss of maneuverability at low speed and at low altitudes due to the thin section of the wing.

There were, as with many new designs, problems at firs, mainly to do with the reduction gearing from the engine to the propeller, but these were soon sorted out. It's poor handling characteristics at low speed meant that it was difficult to land and had to be landed with power on..

The SPAD XIII continued in French service after the war until 1923. A small number were supplied to Belgium after the war and over 400 found their way to the USA where they were fitted with American Wright engines. Small numbers were supplied to other nations.