Sopwith 1913 Circuit of Britain floatplane
Sopwith · United Kingdom · first flew 1913 · light aircraft
The Sopwith 1913 Circuit of Britain biplane was a British floatplane built by Sopwith for the 1913 Daily Mail Circuit of Britain air race.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Radiators placed either side of the fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Four-bay staggered tractor biplane on large single-step floats
- Radiators placed either side of the fuselage
- Large semi-circular tailplane with no fixed vertical surface
It is a four-bay tractor biplane with a square-section fuselage, ailerons on both wings and an aerodynamically balanced rudder.
Specifications
- The Sopwith 1913 Circuit of Britain floatplane has a length of 9.45 m (31 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 15.09 m (50 ft).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was powered by a 100 hp Green E.6 engine. It was the only entrant to start the race, piloted by Harry Hawker with Harry Kauper as passenger.
Variants
Only the one aircraft was built.
Where you'll see it
Hawker and Kauper covered about two-thirds of the 1,450 mile course before a landing accident near Dublin ended the flight. Hawker was awarded a prize of 1,000 pounds and the Royal Aeronautical Society silver medal.
Related aircraft
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