26 April 2016
Cockades, better known as roundels, have been added to the colour scheme of the Biggles Biplane BE-2c replica, so named because it was originally commissioned in 1969 for an uncompleted film featuring Capt. W. E. Johns’ flying hero.
Cockades were adopted by the Royal Flying Corps in 1915/16 after it was discovered that Union Jacks painted under the wings attracted friendly fire as they looked too similar to the Maltese Crosses of the Imperial German Air Corps.
The roundels are subtly different to those used in later RAF aircraft, with different proportions of red, white and blue, and the tri-colour tail stripes are in reversed order with blue at the rudder leading edge. The aircraft continues to carry the tail code No. 687, in commemoration of Lt. William Rhodes-Moorhouse, who gained the first-ever Victoria Cross to be awarded to a pilot.
The Biggles Biplane BE-2c, jointly owned by Stephen Slater and Matthew Boddington and based at Northampton’s Sywell aerodrome, will be flown at air displays and event around the UK this summer, both solo and as a part of the nine aircraft-strong Great War Display Team.
