Sopwith Atlantic

Sopwith Aviation Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1919 · light aircraft

The Sopwith Atlantic was an experimental British long-range biplane of 1919, built to be the first aeroplane to cross the Atlantic non-stop. It ditched during its attempt because of an overheating engine.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Deep fuselage holding a large fuel tank, with the crew of two seated well aft of the wings
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Large two-bay biplane with a single tractor engine in the nose
Deep fuselage holding a large fuel tank, with the crew of two seated well aft of the wings
Jettisonable mainwheels and a boat built into the fuselage decking behind the cockpit

A large two-bay tractor biplane with a deeper fuselage than the B.1, with the crew of two seated well aft of the wings.

Specifications

The Sopwith Atlantic has a length of 9.75 m (32 ft).
It has a wingspan of 14.17 m (46 ft).
Its maximum speed is 190 km/h (118 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Thomas Sopwith had George Carter base the design on the single-engined Sopwith B.1 bomber, with a 375 hp Rolls-Royce Eagle engine. It was completed early in 1919, tested at Brooklands and shipped to Newfoundland.

Variants

Only one Atlantic was built. It was developed from the Sopwith B.1 and led on to the Sopwith Wallaby.

Where you'll see it

Harry Hawker and Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve took off from Newfoundland on 18 May 1919 but ditched near a Danish steamer after the engine overheated, and were rescued. The attempt was not completed.

Related aircraft

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