FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0022.PDF
12 FLIGHT, 1 January 1954 THE SOPWITH PUP . . . The prototype S.8.3D, with wings and under carriage folded. (Below) Salvaging a Naval Pup after ditching trials. a simple beauty of line which stamped it as the little masterpiece it was. It looked right and it was right. This has been said before, many times and by many people, but it will bear repetition: the Sopwith Pup was the pertect flying machine. PUP AND S.B.3D DATA Power Plant—Pup : 80 h.p. Le Rhone 9C (max. output 93 h.p. at 1,200 r.p.m.); or 100 h.p. Gnome Monosoupape. Beardmore S.B.3D : 80 h.p. Le Rhone 9C. Manufacturers.—The Sopwith Aviation Co., Ltd., Canbury Park Road, Kingston-on-Thames. Other Contractors.—The Standard Motor Co., Ltd., Coventry, known batches, A.626-A.675, A.7301-A.7350, B.1701-B.1850, B.5901- B.6150, C.201-C.550; Whitehead Aircraft, Ltd., Richmond, Surrey, knownbatches,B.2151-B.2250, B.7481-B.7580, C.I451-C.1550, D.4011- D.4210; William Beardmore and Co., Ltd., Dalmuir, Dunbartonshire (Pup and Beardmore S.B.3D), known batches, N.6100-N.6129, N.6680- N.6749. Production.—1,770 built; 64 in 1916, 973 in 1917* 733 in 1918. DIMENSIONS. WEIGHTS Span Length Height Chord Gap ... Stagger Dihedral Incidence Span of Tail... Incidence of tailplane Airscrew diameter... Wing area ... Area of each aileron Total aileron area ... Area of tailplane ... Area of elevators ... Area of fin ... Area of rudder Weights and Performance: Weight empty Military load Fuel and oil Weight loaded Max. speed at s.l. at 6,500ft ... at 10,000ft ... Climb to 5,000ft to 6,50Oft to 10.000ft to 15,000ft Service ceiling Endurance AND PERFORMANCE, PUP AND S.B.3D Pup 80 h.p. Le Rhone 26ft 6in 19ft 3Jin 9ft 5in 5ft 1±in 4ft 7|in 18in 3 deg 1 deg 30 min 10ft 1in 1 deg 30 min 8ft 6.34in 254 sq ft 5.5 sq ft 22 sq ft 23 sq ft 11.8 sq ft 3.5 sq ft 4.5 sq ft 787 lb 260 lb 178 lb 1.225 1b 108 m.p.h. 106j m.p.h. 94 m.p.h. 8 min 14 min 24 sec 30 min 6 sec 17,500ft 3 hr Pup Mono soupape 26ft 6in 19ft 3Jin 9ft Sin 5ft Hin 4ft 4|in 18in 3 deg 1 d^q 30 min 10ft 1in 2 deg 30 min 254 sq ft 5.5 sq ft 22 sq ft 23 sq ft 11.8 sq ft 3.5 sq ft 4.5 sq ft 856 lb 1,297 1b 110 m.p.h. 104 m.p.h. 100 m.p.h. 5 min 42 sec 12 min 24 see 23 min 24 sec 18,500ft 2 hr S.B.3D 25ft 20ft 2±in 8ft Uin 5ft 1±in 4ft 9in Nil 10ft 1in 8ft 6in 243 sq ft 5.75 sq ft 23 sq ft 23 sq ft 11.5 sq ft 3.5 sq ft 4.5 sq ft 880 lb 300 1b 110 1b 1,290 1b 103 m.p.h. 88 m.p.h. 9 min 24 min 2J hr Allocation.—To the Expeditionary Force, France: 216; to the 14th Wing, Italy: 1; to the Middle East Brigade: 79; to Home Defence units: 73; to Training units: 823. Distribution of Pups and S.B.3Ds on October 31st, 1918.—With the Expeditionary Force in France: nil; with the 14th Wing in Italy: 1; in transit to Eastern stations: 12; Egypt and Palestine: 46; Mediterranean: 5; in transit to and at Aeroplane Repair Depots: 27; Training units: 98; Home Defence units: 34.; various Home Establishment stations: 293; with con tractors and at Aircraft Acceptance Parks: 1; In store: Pup, 348, S.B.3D, 18; with the Grand Fleet: Pup, 23, S.B.3D, 37. Total numbers on charge: Pup, 878; S.B.3D, 55. Tankage.—Pup: Petrol, 19J gallons, oil, 4J gallons. S.B.3D: Petrol, 18 gallons. Costs.—Pup airframe (Le Rhone version), less engine, instruments and gun, £710 18s; Shipboard Pup, less engine, instruments and gun, £770; 80 h.p. Le Rhone engine, £620; 100 h.p. Gndme Monosoupape, £696. Armament—Standard production Pup: One fixed 0.303in Vickers machine-gun mounted centrally on top of the fuselage, synchronized by Sopwith-Kauper interrupter gear to fire forward through the revolv ing airscrew, and fired by the manual depression of a short horizontal firing lever which projected backwards from the rear of the gun. Various experimental installations of a Lewis machine-gun on the centre section were made but were not successful. Eight Le Prieur rockets could be carried, four on each pair of interplane struts (e.g. as on N.5186). Four 25-lb bombs could be carried in external racks under the fuselage. Shipboard Pup: One 0.303in Lewis machine-gun on tripod mounting in front of cockpit. A special aperture was cut in the centre section, and through it the Lewis gun fired forwards and upwards over the airscrew, or could be mounted to fire almost vertically upwards for anti-Zeppelin work. Beardmore S.B.3D: One Lewis gun mounted above the centre section to starboard of centre, firing forwards and slightly upwards over the airscrew. (On the prototype S.B.3D a vertically mounted Lewis gun was fitted.) Service Use.—Pup: Western Front: R.F.C. Sqns. No. 46, 54 and 66; also used by Special Duty Flight; R.N.A.S., "A" Sqn. at Fumes; No. 1 Wing; Naval Sqns. No. 3, 4, 8 and 9. Home Defence : R.F.C. Sqns. No. 61 and 112. Other R.N.A.S. use: Aircraft carriers Manxman (4 Pups), Furious (numbers varied; at first 5 Pups, later 14 S.B.3Ds), and Campania. Seaplane carrier Vindex. Light cruisers Yarmouth, Caledon, Dublin, Cordelia and Cassandra. Battle cruiser Repulse. R.N.A.S. Station, Great Yarmouth. Fighter flight at Walmer. Sea plane Defence Flight at St. Pol. (N.B. The Pups of this unit were replaced by Camels in September, 1917, and the Flight was expanded into the Seaplane Defence Squadron. In January 1918 the unit was named No. 13 Naval Sqn. It is therefore incorrect to state, as has been done, that the Pup was used by No. 13 Naval Sqn.) Medi terranean: Naval "C" Sqn., Imbros. Italy: One Pup with 14th Wing in 1918. Training: Widely used at training aerodromes. Known tc have been used at C.F.S. TJpavon; School of Special Flying Gosport: London Colney; No. 63 Training Sqn., Dartford; Cranwell; Schools of Aerial Fighting at Turnberry, Marske, Frieston, Sedgeford and East Fortune. S.B.3D : Flown from aircraft carrier Furious. Known Serial Numbers and Notes on Individual Machines.— 9496-9497; 9898-9900, built by Sopwith; 9901-9950 built by Beard more, 9350 modified to become prototype Beardmore S.B.3D; A.626-A.675, built by Standard, A.635 machine "D" of No. 66 Sqn., A.653 had 100 h.p. Gn6me Monosoupape; A.6150-A.6249; A.7301-A.7350 built by Standard; B.1701-B.1850, built by Standard, B.1751 claimec by Germans as shot down in November, 1917, pilot, Lt. Thompson B.1795, Manfred von Richthofen's 61st victory, pilot Lt. A. F. Bird B.2151-B.2250, built by Whitehead; B.5251-B.5400; B.5901-B.6150 built by Standard; B.7481-B.7580; C.201-C.550, built by Standard C.1451-C.1550, built by Whitehead; C.3707-C.3776; D.4011-D.4210 built by Whitehead; N.5180-N.5199; N.5186, with 8 Le Prieur rockets N.6100-N.6129, Beardmore S.B.3D; N.6190, Pup with rigid skid under carriage; N.6430-N.6459, built by Beardmore, all with skid under carriage; N.6454 was flown from Furious; N.6460-N.6479, built b; Sopwith, standard undercarriage; N.6680-N.6749, Beardmore S.B.3Ds
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
