Corgi Aviation Archive
AA37708
SE5a F-904, Major C.E.M. Pickthorn MC, RAF No.84 Squadron, France, November, 1918  
 
General Background
The S.E.5a featured here claimed one of the final aerial victories of the war when it shot down a German Fokker D.VII fighter just one day before the armistice came into effect. It must also be considered one of the most historic aircraft in the history of the Royal Air Force, as it continues to fly in the colors it wore during that final combat to this day, as part of the famous Shuttleworth Collection at Old Warden airfield in Bedfordshire, England.
The third SE5 produced (A4563) became, in effect, the prototype SE5a with a 200-hp Hispano Suiza power plant and shorter wingspan. The SE5a built a reputation for strength, performance and general flying quality, which together with the Sopwith Camel were the main reasons for the Allies gaining and maintaining air superiority during 1918. Some aircraft were fitted with four 25 lb (11 kg) Cooper bombs under fuselage racks. The SE5a was one of aviation’s great warplanes