Price: £20.00

Sopwith Pup

The Sopwith Pup was developed in response to the ascendancy of the German Scouts during the second half of 1915. Using the simplest possible airframe structure the Pup was first flown by Sopwith test pilot Harry Hawker in February 1916. The Pup was found to be an incredibly pleasant aeroplane to fly, and was probably the best handling of all WW1 fighters, (in contrast to a later Sopwith fighter the Camel, which was a vicious beast). Also the Pup, (I think) was the first British fighter to be fitted with a forward firing gun with interrupter gear, so that it could fire through the propellor arc.

Because British industry, at that time seemed to have no idea on how to mass produce aeroplanes there were never enough Pup's and most were operated by the Royal Naval Air Service. During "Bloody April" 1916 when most British squadrons were being annihilated, the Pup squadrons made an impact out of all proportion their actual number, infact German scouts took too avoiding the Pup in combat. The Pup was flown by many WW1 aces, most famously Lieut J.T.B. McCudden (57 kills) who said that the little Pup, "Could turn twice to an Albatross once." The Pup was also the first aircraft to take off and land from a ship at sea, pioneering experiments which led to the aircraft carrier.

Performance

A top speed of 111.5 mph at sea level
Weight: 787 lb, Tare
Powerplant: One Le Rhone Rotary Engine
Armament: One 0.303 inch Vickers Machine gun firing through the propellor arc.