This popular aircraft was favored
by many pilots and used by almost all of the Squadrons of the French
Air Force. It was also used by both the Royal Flying Corps and the
United States Army Air Force.
The SPAD S.XIII Biplane Operational History
The French Air Force planned to replace their SPAD S.VIIs and
Nieuports with the S.XIII, however deliveries, which began in May
1917, were slow with only a third of the planned aircraft being
produced by March 1918. They remained in service as a fighter with
the French until 1923.
The United States, who purchased a total of 893 of these
biplanes, still had more than half of them in service in 1920,
however the British replaced theirs with Sopwith Dolphins in April
1918. Other operators of this aircraft included: The Argentine Air
Force, Belgium’s Groupe de Chasse, the Brazilian Air Force, the
Czech Air Force, the Finnish Air Force, the Hellenic Air Force,
Italy’s Corpo Aeronautico Militaire, the Imperial Japanese Army Air
Service and several other forces.
Surviving SPAD S.XIII Biplanes
There are several surviving S.XIII biplanes currently on
display at museums including: The National Air and Space Museum in
Washington D.C., The National Museum of the United States Air Force
in Dayton, Ohio, and the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and
Military History in Brussels.
An airworthy example exists with the Memorial Flight
Association in La Ferté-Alais, Île-de-France.
Various scale models, model kits and plans of this aircraft have
been available in the market place.
SPAD S.XIII Biplane Specifications:
SPAD S.XIII Crew: Pilot Only
SPAD S.XIII Length: 20ft 6in (6.25m)
SPAD S.XIII Wingspan: 27ft 1in (8.25m)
SPAD S.XIII Height: 8ft 6½in (2.60m)
SPAD S.XIII Wing area: 227ft² (21.1 m²)
SPAD S.XIII Empty weight: 1,245lb (566kg)
SPAD S.XIII Maximum takeoff weight: 1,863lb (845kg)
SPAD S.XIII Engine: Single Hispano-Suiza 8Be 8-cylinder vee-type,
220 hp (164 kW)
SPAD S.XIII Maximum speed: 135mph (218 km/h)
SPAD S.XIII Range: 171 mi (276 km)
SPAD S.XIII Service Ceiling: 21,815ft (6,650m)
SPAD S.XIII Biplane Armament:
Guns:
2 x .303-cal. (7.7 mm) Vickers machine guns
or
2 x Marlin M1917 or M1918 machine guns |