J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

SPAD 16

An improved version of the SPAD 11, designated SPAD 16, was produced in 1917. It featured a 240-hp (some sources say 250-hp) Lorraine 8Bb engine. The more powerful engine improved the aircraft's performance, but did nothing to correct the design flaws that were present in the SPAD 11. Furthermore, the type was still slower than the Breguet 14 A2 and Salmson 2 A2.
  The SPAD 16 was a two-bay biplane. There were ailerons on the top wing only; both wings had a slight sweepback of 0.40 degrees. There were two spruce spars per wing. The leading edge was made of spruce, while the trailing edge was made ol steel wire. The ribs were made ol plywood and the wing was fabric-covered and coated with a special enamel ("Emaillite") recommended by the SFA. The tail had a D-shaped rudder with a triangular, fixed fin. The rudder was 1.20m in height with a surface area of 0.840 sq. m; the fin had a surface area of 0.40 sq. in. The surface area of the horizontal stabilizer was 1.440 sq. m. The fuselage had a quadrangular shape and was constructed of four spruce longerons held together by piano wire. The wire criss-crossed the entire fuselage frame to ensure its strength. The fuselage formers were also made of spruce. The undercarriage had V-shaped struts which were fixed to the fuselage spars, and bungee chords served as shock absorbers. The undercarriage also had diagonal struts to ensure rigidity. The articulated axle passed through openings in the landing gear struts: steel tubes on either side of the axle were used for added strength. The tail skid was made ol ash and had a steel tip. As with the main undercarriage, the skid was mobile and bungee chords served as shock absorbers. The fuel tank held 140 liters and was located under the pilot's seat. The tank could be removed through an access panel in the fuselage. Panels in the fuel tank could be opened to immediately empty the tank in case of fire. There was an auxiliary fuel tank with a capacity of 25 liters located in the top wing. A cylindrical oil reservoir was located behind the motor and was mounted laterally. The radiator was octagonal in shape and had adjustable slats. Armament consisted of a synchronized gun mounted just to the left of mid-line fired by the pilot and a flexible gun fired by the observer.
  The problems with the SPAD 16 were similar to those encountered with the SPAD 11. A GQG memo of 7 July 1918 noted that the SPAD 16's tail skids were weak and needed to be reinforced. Similarly, when the plane was flown as a single-seater, pilots were warned to lock the gun ring in place or it would swivel violently in flight.

Operational Service

  By early 1918 there were 235 SPAD 16s in service, and 130 SPAD 16s were in service in October 1918.
  One source estimates that 1,000 SPAD 16s were built, but this cannot be confirmed. By 1920 the SPAD 16s had been withdrawn from service.


Foreign Service

Belgium
  A single SPAD 16 was purchased for evaluation.

United States
  Six SPAD 16s were acquired by the A.E.F. in August 1918. One that was flown by Colonel William "Billy" Mitchell is preserved.


SPAD 16 Two-Seat Reconnaissance Aircraft with 240-hp Lorraine 8Bb
   Span 11.210 m; length 7.840 m; height 2.840 m; wing area 30 sq. m
   Loaded weight 1,140 kg
   Maximum speed:
sea level 179.8 km/h
1,000 m 178 km/h
2,000 m 175 km/h
3,000 m 169 km/h
   Climb:
1,000 m 4 minutes 28 seconds
2,000 m 9 minutes 15 seconds
3,000 m 15 minutes 51 seconds
4,000 m 29 minutes 27 seconds
   Armament: one fixed, synchronized 7.7-mm Vickers machine gun, one or two 7.7-mm Lewis guns mounted on a ring stand, and 70 kg of bombs
   Approximately 1,000 built