Sopwith Three-seater

Sopwith Aviation Company · United Kingdom · first flew 1913 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Sopwith Three-seater was a British tractor biplane designed and built just before the First World War, one of the first aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company.

Recognition (WEFT)

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

Spot it by:

• Two-bay tractor biplane with a Gnome rotary engine in the nose
• Two cockpits fore and aft, with passengers seated side by side in front and the pilot behind
• Three transparent celluloid windows in each side of the fuselage

Look for a two-bay tractor biplane with a rotary engine, glazed fuselage sides and a pilot sitting behind the passenger seats.

Specifications

• The Sopwith Three-seater has a length of 8.99 m (29 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 12.19 m (40 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 119 km/h (74 mph).
• Typical crew: 1.

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

History

It grew from Thomas Sopwith's Hybrid, which first flew on 4 July 1912 using Wright Biplane wings. The improved Three-Seat Tractor Biplane was flown on 7 February 1913 with an 80 hp Gnome Lambda and wing warping for lateral control.

Variants

The first aircraft used wing warping, while a later example with ailerons led to a further nine ordered for the Royal Flying Corps. The Hybrid was rebuilt to a similar standard.

Where you'll see it

Both the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps used it, and three RNAS aircraft flew reconnaissance and bombing missions over Belgium in 1914. Surviving RFC examples served briefly as trainers at the Central Flying School.

Related aircraft

• Sopwith Tabloid
• Sopwith Gunbus
• Sopwith Schneider
• Sopwith Sociable
• Albatros B.I
• Albatros B.IIa
• Avro 511
• Burgess Model I

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