British Army Aeroplane No 1
experimental aircraft, first to fly more than one mile in Europe
The British Army Aeroplane No 1 or sometimes Cody 1 was a biplane built by Samuel Franklin Cody in 1907 at the Army Balloon Factory at Farnborough. It made the first recognised powered and sustained flight in the United Kingdom on 16 October 1908.
Background
In the early years of the twentieth century, the British Army's limited interest in aeronautical matters was largely confined to the use of tethered balloons or kites for artillery observation purposes. Many people did not believe the Wright Brothers' claims of sustained controlled flight, and in 1907 an officially sanctioned experiment at the Balloon Factory, Farnborough, was limited to the building of the Dirigible No. 1 Nulli Secundus, which was the Army's first powered airship, under the supervision of Colonel J. E. Capper, the superintendent of the factory. In addition some highly secret experiments with gliders were being carried out at Blair Atholl in Scotland by J. W. Dunne in collaboration with Capper. In late 1907 the Director of Fortifications, Capper's immediate superior, was persuaded to allow the use of some of the Balloon Factory's resources for the construction of a powered aircraft, to be designed and built by the American Samuel Franklin Cody, who was at that time working with Capper on the Nulli Secundus.
Development and design
The Army Aeroplane No. 1 was a biplane of similar configuration to that designed by the Wright brothers, being a three bay biplane with horizontal control surfaces mounted in front of the wings and a rudder behind; but was larger, with a wingspan of 52 ft (16 m).
The aircraft had a long history of alterations, but as first built it had a short square-section wire-braced wood fuselage, with the engine mounted on top in front of the leading edge of the lower wing, with the pilot's seat behind it.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “British Army Aeroplane No 1” as experimental aircraft, first to fly more than one mile in Europe. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as experimental aircraft, first to fly more than one mile in Europe. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q4969469. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1907 and 1908.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “British Army Aeroplane No 1”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow British Army Aeroplane No 1 primary sources, British Army Aeroplane No 1 archive and British research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “British Army Aeroplane No 1”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “British Army Aeroplane No 1” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.