<P> At first the meticulous Constantinesco was dissatisfied with the odd slightly deviant hit on his test disc . It was found that carefully inspecting the ammunition cured this fault (common, of course, to all such gears); with good quality rounds, the performance of the gear pleased even its creator . The first working C.C. gear was air - tested in a B.E. 2c in August 1916 . </P> <P> The new gear had several advantages over all mechanical gears: the rate of fire was greatly improved, the synchronization was much more accurate, and above all it was readily adaptable to any type of engine and airframe, instead of needing a specially designed impulse generator for each type of engine and special linkages for each type of aircraft . In the long run (provided it was properly maintained and adjusted) it also proved far more durable and less prone to failure . </P> <P> No. 55 Squadron's DH. 4s arrived in France on 6 March 1917 fitted with the new gear, followed shortly after by No. 48 squadron's Bristol Fighters and No. 56 Squadron's S.E. 5s . Early production models had some teething troubles in service, as ground crew learned to service and adjust the new gears, and pilots to operate them . It was late in 1917 before a version of the gear that could operate twin guns became available, so that the first Sopwith Camels had to be fitted with the Sopwith - Kauper gear instead . </P> <P> From November 1917 the gear finally became standard; being fitted to all new British aircraft with synchronized guns from that date up to the Gloster Gladiator of 1937 . </P>

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