SPAD VII C.1 U.S. Volunteers

In late 1915 Louis Bechereau, the chief designer of the Societe pour Aviation et ses Derives, created a little single-seater biplane which proved to be one of the most outstanding airplanes of the First World War. With the early adaptation of the more powerful 180hp Hispano Suiza engine, the SPAD S VII was a significant improvement on the Nieuport fighters then in service. Production machines reached the front in the autumn of 1916, and the type quickly became very popular in French and Allied pilots. About 5 600 machines were total built. The British RFC (Royal Flying Corps) had expressed an interest in the Spad 7 from the very beginning. The Royal Naval Air Service had also shown an interest in the Spad 7.The British Admirality ordered the Spad 7 into production in England. One of the major concerns of the RFC was the Spad´s 7 light armament. The first S 7 with an added upper wing Lewis gun was tested at Martlesham Heath in May 1917. This instalation caused a drop in performances. As a general rule, British –built Spads were not as good as the French –built aircraft and they were not as popular with British pilots. About 220 machines were built in England and 100 ones were built by Russian “Dux” factory. The famed American “Lafayette” Escadrille was using the Spad VII since February 1918. At this time it was transferred from the French Aviation service to the Air Service of American Expeditionary Force (A.E.F.), and became the 103'd Aero Squadron. Many USAS Spads were re-equipped in the field with Marlin machine guns. American Spads 7 were built only in France. In the post-war era the Spad VII’s served in the air services of the United States, Poland, Spain, Czechoslovakia and Japan. It continued in service until mid-twenties. One of major post-war users of the Spads 7 was the Czechoslovak Air Force (about 50 machines). They took part at the first Czechoslovak national Air meeting in 1921. Pilot Cpt. Jaroslav Skala won the speed races on one kilometer base and Prague-Pardubice-Prague distance (about 100 km) with the machine with start No 4.

Specifications + Performance

Manufacturer: Societe Pour Aviation et Derives (SPAD), Paris & Juvisy France
Type: Fighter or "Aeroplanes de Chasse"
Crew configuration: Single Seat
Wing configuration: Biplane, Fabric and Wood
Armament: 1 Fixed Forward Firing Synchronized Vickers 8mm/303cal Machine gun
Engine configuration: One 150-175-180 H.P. Hispano-Suiza 8-Aa or 8-Ab Water cooled Vee type, Two Bladed Tractor propeller

Length: 20' 6.1 m
Height: 7' 6" 2.2 m
Wingspan: 25' 7" 7.8 m
Wingarea: 192.0 sq ft 17.8 sq m
Empty Weight: 1,102 lb 499 kg
Gross Weight: 1,554 lb 704 kg
Range: 127 miles 204 km
Max Speed: 120 mph 193 km/h 104 kt
Ceiling: 21,500 ft 6,552 m
Max Endurance: 1,5 – 2,5 Hours