Sage Type 2 Fighter

Designed before Britain had an effective synchronising gear for a forward firing machine gun, the Sage Type 2 placed a gunner in a cabin with a field of fire over the propeller. The first aircraft design by woodworking company, Frederick Sage & Co, the Sage 2 was a small two-seat single engined fighter. The pilot and gunner were enclosed in a glazed cabin with a hole in the roof for the gunner. The field of fire for the machine gun was excellent and during tests, the aircraft proved easy to fly with good manoeuvrability. Unfortunately, it crashed on a test flight on 20 September 1916. By this time, Britain had an effective synchronising gear, so the Sage Type 2 was not repaired and the program discontinued.