Cody aircraft mark IIE, Omnibus RAE-O28

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War
Cody aircraft mark IIE (Omnibus - so named because of its passenger carrying capabilities) outside his shed on a rather muddy Laffan's Plain. Work is being carried out on one of the rudders. Cody first built this aircraft in 1910; the previous aircraft had been in several crashes and was suffering generally from constant usage. The design of this aircraft followed similar lines to the previous one though the wingspan was shorter by around six feet and the wing area around a third smaller.
The mark IIE was fitted an Austro-Daimler engine with an output of 120 hp was fitted. It was two Green engines with the same combined output of 120 hp that Cody originally intended to use when he designed and built the mark II though problems with synchronicity meant that this was never carried out and instead just one of these engines was used meaning that aircraft was underpowered though alterations to the engine and the removal of excess weight partly solved this problem. With the Austro-Daimler engine fitted (January 1912) the aircraft could carry four passengers and was the first aircraft to do so in this country. It was eventually crashed by Lieut. J N Fletcher whilst Cody was teaching him to fly on the 5th April 1912.

The passengers sat in four metal tractor seats positioned behind the pilot. The seats were in two tiers on either side of the engine. Note the twin rudder arrangement, this was the only mark II aircraft to have this arrangement and may have been used to counter increased instability caused by the powerful engine. The twin rudder is similar in design to the next aircraft that Cody built.