WOW150 SE-5A

Description

The SE 5A Fighter. Built by the Royal Aircraft Factory the SE 5 was one of the fastest aircraft of WW1, whilst being stable and very maneuverable. It has been described by some as the ‘Spitfire’ of WW1. In many respects the SE 5 outperformed the Sopwith Camel, however problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine meant there was always a chronic shortage of these aircraft. Together with the Camel the SE 5 was instrumental in regaining air superiority from mid-1917 onwards. Ensuring there was no repetition of Bloody April 1917 when Allied losses were particularly heavy compared to the Luftstreitkfafte. Our aircraft is one flown by Major Roderick Dallas DSO, DSC & Bar, an Australian who served with British Naval squadrons up until his death in 1918. An outstanding fighter pilot, Dallas is regarded as the second highest scoring Australian ace after Robert Little with a commonly accepted score of 39 kills, although this has been disputed with claims ranging from 32 to 50 depending on who you believe! Dallas travelled at his own expense to the UK following the outbreak of WW1, and joined the RNAS as a pilot. He flew various aircraft including the Sopwith Triplane and a two tone camouflaged SE 5 which we have portrayed in this release. On 1st June Dallas was promoted to Lt-Colonel which would have taken him away from flying duties, unfortunately he was shot down on this very day whilst on a lone patrol, his assailant is unknown. His death came as a shock to his fellow pilots, many of whom thought him immortal. We do not have a pilot figure of Dallas available yet so this model does come with free figure of Australian footballer Dan Minogue as per the pictures. We have 10 of these models available and the price is £350 plus postage, if UK or EU then postage will be less but does depend on where you reside, please contact us for a quote.