The first British airplane specially designed to carry a machine-gun, the Vickers pusher biplane, made its appearance in 1913. The gunner sat in front of the pilot and operated a belt-fed .303 inch Maxim gun. The Vickers company had manufactured this gun for the British Government since 1888, so it was the obvious choice; the belt feed, however, was found to interfere with its flexibility. Replacement of the Maxim by the lighter Vickers/Maxim (Vickers) brought no improvement. Meanwhile, the .303 inch caliber Lewis gun had been tested and accepted by the Royal Flying Corps. It was installed in the Vickers pusher and proved so successful that rather reluctantly the type was ordered by the British Government in July 1914.