Cody V monoplane RAE-O145 during World War I

Aviation in Britain Before the First World War- the work of Samuel Franklin Cody in Airship, Kite and Aircraft Aeronautics 1903 - 1913
The Cody Aircraft Mark IV monoplane on the ground, built by S F Cody for the 1912 Military Trials. A few weeks before the trials, Cody struck a cow whilst attempting to make a forced landing in the Mark IV after an engine cut out. Cody was thrown clear, largely unhurt, but the cow was killed and the aircraft written off leaving Cody with just four weeks to build a replacement aircraft for the Trials.

This single engine tractor design, radically different from his previous ones, was significantly quicker and more manoeuvrable than the aircraft he had built before, though this was partly because of the more powerful Austro-Daimler engine which had been transferred from the mark IIE aircraft. Note the unusual tail arrangement with twin elevators and rudders. The cockpit was semi enclosed with two side by side seats. Also note the aircraft's large size compared to other contemporary monoplanes.