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The Kennedy Giant was a British biplane heavy bomber designed by Kennedy Aeroplanes Ltd. during the First World War. The design was an imitation of works by Igor Sikorsky, with whom the owner of Kennedy Aeroplanes Ltd., C. J. H. Mackenzie-Kennedy, had ostensibly worked prior to setting up the company. The aeroplane was a notorious failure; its size meant that construction had to take place in an open field as none of the hangars near Hayes, Middlesex, where the prototype was assembled, were large enough to house it. For its weight, the aircraft's four engines were inadequate, and the resulting under-powered aircraft could only fly in a straight line once airborne.

Giant
The prototype aircraft
Role	Heavy bomber Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Fairey Aviation, Gramophone Company
Designer	McKenzie-Kennedy
First flight	"hopped" 1917
Primary user	Royal Flying Corps
Number built	1

Following the unimpressive test flight, the design was cancelled and the prototype was left derelict at Northolt Aerodrome for a number of years.

Specifications

Data from [1]

General characteristics

• Length: 80 ft (24 m)
• Wingspan: 142 ft (43 m)
• Empty weight: 19,000 lb (8,618 kg)
• Powerplant: 4 × Salmson 2M.7 14-cyl. two-row water-cooled radial engines, 200 hp (150 kW) each [2]

Performance

See also

• Sikorsky Ilya Muromets
• Slesarev Svyatogor

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Bruce, J.M. (1957). British Aeroplanes 1914-18 (1st ed.). London: Putnam. pp. 287–289.
• Woodman, Harry (September 1985). "MacKenzie-Kennedy & his works". WW1 Aero (106): 5–11.
• "Correspondence". WW1 Aero (108): 18–19. February 1986.

External links

letter on McKenzie-Kennedy in Flight 1967

• further letter in Flight 1967

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