WALTON-EDWARDS Colossoplane (Walton & Edwards Aeroplane Co., Shed 16, Brooklands)

   Edwards had been involved with an earlier large machine at Brooklands, the Rhomboidal, and, presumably with a new financial partner, embarked on the Colossoplane, also known as the Elephantoplane. The machine emerged at Brooklands in August and was flown for the first time on 25 September 1911. Later a number of straight flights were carried out at low altitude, and a turn was reported to have been made on 6 December 1911, but no activity was reported after the middle of December. The machine was flown by Harold Blackburn and was notable for the noise of its engine and for being the largest aircraft at Brooklands at the time.
   The Colossoplane was a mixture of tractor and pusher design in that it had a nacelle, mounted high in the gap on struts, and tail booms, but the engine was mounted in the nose and drove a tractor propeller. To adjust the balance of the aircraft the engine and crew could be moved fore and aft. The three bay wings had a wide gap and were of thin section, with considerable reflex curvature on the lower surface. Most unusual was the system of warping of the leading edges of the wings for lateral control, struts connecting top to bottom surfaces to actuate the control.
   The tail booms carried a biplane tail with elevator on the top only. One triangular rudder was fitted within the tail, and two similar rudders midway along the tail booms. The undercarriage consisted of a central skid and two wheels, the track being narrow and out of keeping with the proportions of the machine. A tail skid was fitted.

   Power: 100hp Clerget 4W four-cylinder inline water-cooled.