#0054
Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5
first flew 1914· reconnaissance and artillery observation biplane
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. RAF R.E.5i: TSRL· CC BY-SA 3.0
what is it?
The Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 was a British two-seat reconnaissance and artillery observation biplane designed and built by the Royal Aircraft Factory for the Royal Flying Corps.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 13.6 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 112 years ago, in 1914.
- Wingspan of 13.6 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1914
- introduced
- 1914
- number built
- 24
- role
- reconnaissance and artillery observation biplane
- makers
- Royal Aircraft Establishment
- engines
- 1× Austro-Daimler piston engine / Beardmore 120 hp
- crew
- 2
- length
- 8 m
- wingspan
- 13.6 m
- height
- 3 m
- top speed
- 126 km/h
- range
- —
- wings
- biplane
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q7373637, Wikipedia: Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.5 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.