Who bought the last two Triplane No. 3s?

Short answer

One was sold to the Harvard Aeronautical Society and another exported to the United States, though not recorded as the last two built. Five production Roe III Triplanes were made, though some sources say three. Two more burned en route to the 1910 Blackpool meeting.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Who bought the last two Triplane No. 3s?

AV Roe Bulls Eye

Two destinations across the Atlantic

Among the production aircraft, one was sold to the Harvard Aeronautical Society and another was exported to the United States. The Roe III Triplane was an early aircraft designed by the British manufacturer Avro. Five production machines were built, although some sources give three.

A two-seater with ailerons

In layout it was similar to the Roe II Triplane, with a triplane tail unit and a triangular-section fuselage open at the top, but the Roe III was a two-seater and introduced ailerons for the first time in a Roe design. The production aircraft differed from the prototype in carrying the ailerons on the middle wing, whereas the prototype's were on the top one, and in using a Green engine instead of the prototype's JAP.

The fire on the way to Blackpool

Two other examples met a curious fate while travelling to the 1910 Blackpool meeting: sparks from the steam locomotive hauling them set the aircraft alight. Roe was able to quickly replace them with new machines built from spare parts.