The B.E.8 was the definitive development of the earlier
B.E 3 type, and the last of the B.E. series to be designed with a
rotary engine. The main changes were that the fuselage now rested on the lower wing, in the normal way for a tractor biplane, and that the tail unit was changed to the B.E.2 pattern. Three prototypes were built at
Farnborough with a single long cockpit for both crew members. The production aircraft had two separate cockpits and were built by sub-contractors. The improved B.E.8a of 1915 had new B.E.2c type wings, featuring
ailerons instead of
wing warping and a revised
tail unit.
Operational history
Both models of the aircraft entered service with the
Royal Flying Corps and a small number served in
France in 1914 and early 1915 but most were used by training units.[2]