# Cody monoplane > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cody_monoplane > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Cody_monoplane.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody_monoplane > Source revision: 1321141481 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Cody IV General information Type Experimental aircraft National origin United Kingdom Number built 1 History First flight 21 June 1912 The **Cody IV monoplane** was a single-engined [monoplane](/source/Monoplane) designed and built by the American-born but British-based aviation pioneer [Samuel Franklin Cody](/source/Samuel_Franklin_Cody) in 1912. It was intended for entry into the [1912 British Military Aeroplane Competition](/source/1912_British_Military_Aeroplane_Competition), but was wrecked in a crash before the start of the competition. ## Design and development In December 1911 the British [War Office](/source/War_Office) announced a competition for a Military aeroplane capable of carrying a pilot and observer for the recently established [Royal Flying Corps](/source/Royal_Flying_Corps). First prize was £4,000, with the War Office having the option to purchase any of the prize winning machines.[1][2] Rear view of the Cody IV, showing the tail surfaces The American showman and aviation pioneer Samuel Cody, who had developed a system of man-carrying kites from 1901, built his first aircraft, the [British Army Aeroplane No 1](/source/British_Army_Aeroplane_No_1) at the [Army Balloon Factory](/source/Royal_Aircraft_Establishment) at [Farnborough](/source/Farnborough%2C_Hampshire) in 1908, making its first flight, recognised as the first powered controlled flight in the United Kingdom on 16 October 1908.[3] In order to compete for the prize money offered by the War Office, Cody decided to design and build a new [monoplane](/source/Monoplane), while also entering his existing [biplane](/source/Cody_Circuit_of_Britain_biplane) that had finished fourth in the 1911 [Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Air Race](/source/Daily_Mail_Circuit_of_Britain_Air_Race).[4][5] Cody's previous designs were [pusher](/source/Pusher_configuration) [canard](/source/Canard_(aeronautics)) [biplanes](/source/Biplane), but the new aircraft was a [tractor](/source/Tractor_configuration) high-winged monoplane powered by a single 120 hp (89 kW) [Austro-Daimler](/source/Austro-Daimler_6) engine which had been fitted to an [Etrich Taube](/source/Etrich_Taube) which had crashed during the 1911 Circuit of Britain, which Cody had purchased after the race.[4] It had a deep fuselage that accommodated the crew of two side-by-side. The tail arrangement was unusual, with two [elevators](/source/Elevator_(aircraft)) and two rudders carried on four [bamboo](/source/Bamboo) booms that led back from the fuselage, the all moving tail surfaces forming a box shape. Fabric was stretched between the tail booms giving a cruciform shape as seen in cross-section. Lateral control was by means of [wing warping](/source/Wing_warping), and the aircraft was fitted with a [nosewheel undercarriage](/source/Tricycle_gear).[4][5][6] ## Operational history The monoplane made its maiden flight on 21 June 1912,[5] but on 8 July a cow ran into the path of the aircraft during landing. The resulting crash badly damaged the aircraft and killed the cow, although Cody was not badly injured.[4] As the Circuit of Britain aircraft had already been wrecked in a crash, Cody used the engine from the monoplane together with what parts he could salvage from the biplane to construct a new aircraft, the [Cody V biplane](/source/Cody_V_biplane), which won the Military Aeroplane Competition.[7] ## Specifications *Data from* The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)[8] **General characteristics** - **Crew:** 2 - **Length:** 37 ft (11 m) - **Wingspan:** 43 ft 6 in (13.26 m) - **Height:** 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) [9] - **Wing area:** 260 sq ft (24 m2) - **Empty weight:** 1,400 lb (635 kg) - **Powerplant:** 1 × [Austro-Daimler](/source/Austro-Daimler_6) water-cooled six-cylinder inline engine, 120 hp (89 kW) - **Propellers:** 2-bladed Chauviere [9], 11 ft 6 in (3.51 m) diameter **Performance** - **Maximum speed:** 70 mph (110 km/h, 61 kn) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bruce_RFC_p1_1-0)** Bruce 1982, p.1. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Flight_Comp_2-0)** *Flight* 23 December 1911, p. 1109. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Jarrett_p8-9_3-0)** Jarrett 1999, pp. 8–9. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Bruce_RFC_p15_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Bruce_RFC_p15_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Bruce_RFC_p15_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Bruce_RFC_p15_4-3) Bruce 1982, p. 15. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Jarrett_p15_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Jarrett_p15_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Jarrett_p15_5-2) Jarrett 1999, p. 15. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Flight_mono_p581-2_6-0)** *Flight* 29 June 1912, pp. 581–582. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bruce_RFC_p198-0_7-0)** Bruce 1982, pp. 198–200. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Bruce_RFC_p15-6_8-0)** Bruce 1982, pp. 15–16. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Flight_mono_p582_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Flight_mono_p582_9-1) *Flight* 29 June 1912, p. 582. ## References Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Cody aircraft mark IV](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cody_aircraft_mark_IV). - Bruce, J.M. *The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)*. London:Putnam, 1982. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-370-30084-X](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-370-30084-X). - [Jarrett, Philip](/source/Philip_Jarrett) (July–August 1999). "Cody and his Aeroplanes: Samuel Franklin Cody: His Life and Times". *Air Enthusiast* (82): 6–17. [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [0143-5450](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/0143-5450). - "[The Cody Monoplane](http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1912/1912%20-%200579.html)". *[Flight](/source/Flight_International)*, 29 June 1912. pp. 579–583. - "[The War Office Competition](http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1911/1911%20-%201101.html)". *Flight*, 23 December 1911, p. 1109. v t e Samuel Cody aircraft British Army Aeroplane No 1 Cody Michelin Cup Biplane Cody Circuit of Britain biplane Cody monoplane Cody V biplane Cody Waterplane --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Cody monoplane](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody_monoplane) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cody_monoplane?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.