Sopwith Pup

The Sopwith Pup was a single seater fighter aircraft used by the British in World War I. It was manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company and was officially named the Sopwith Scout. It was called the Pup because it looked like a smaller version of the 1 1/2 Strutter.

The Pup was a highly regarded aircraft. It was pleasant to fly and was simple and reliable. It's large wings gave it a good rate of climb and agility. It was underpowered compared to the German Albatros DIII but could turn twice in the space of a single turn by an Albatros.

It was used to great effect by both the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. The first Pups reached the Western Front in October of 1916 and a total of 1,770 were built. After being removed from frontline service in mid-1917 they were used by a Home Defense squadron against Zeppelins. In August 1917, the Sopwith Pup became the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship, HMS Furious.

The Pup was powered by either an 80 or 100 horsepower air cooled rotary engine. It had a wing span of 26 ft 6 in, a length of 19 ft 3 3/4 inches and a height of 9 ft 5 inches. It weighted 856 pounds empty and 1,225 when fully loaded. It's maximum speed was 106 mph and it had a ceiling of 18,500 feet. It could fly missions of upto 3 hours in length.

It was armed with a single, forward firing Vickers .303 machinegun. The machinegun fired forward through the propellor by means of an interupter gear.