Sopwith Pup (Replica)

General Description

This replica of the formidable Sopwith Pup was built from a kit manufactured by the Airdrome Aeroplanes Company of Holden, Missouri, USA. Airdrome Aeroplanes is the provider of kits for over a dozen different World War One replicas in either full-size or ¾ scale versions. The kits they produce are designed to be simple and easy to build. Unlike the original Sopwith Pup which was built from wood and fabric, the Airdrome Aeroplane Sopwith Pup has a metal tube frame and is covered in modern fabric and paint. The engine options for their kits are also modern, which provide better parts availability and overall reliability. The replica was also designed to have a steerable tailwheel and hydraulic brakes in place of the original tailskid. This improvement allows the replica to be safely operated from paved runways and to have differential braking to help steer on the ground. The original Sopwith Pup did not have brakes, and it relied on its tailskid to bring the airplane to a stop.

With all that said, the replica is otherwise very accurate and because the aerodynamics of the replica are exactly the same, the replica flies exactly the same as the original. Pilots need to maintain careful attention to the coordination of the airplane more so than with more recently designed airplanes. The final main difference with the replica is that because uses modern materials, the replica is stressed to handle loads of +6G and -3G which is much stronger than the original Sopwith Pup which could only handle up to approximately +4.5G.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Original Sopwith Pup

The Sopwith Pup was a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristics and good manoeuvrability, the aircraft proved very successful. The Pup entered service at a time in history where airplanes were transitioning from merely being an aerial observation platform, to being lethal fighting machines. The Pup was the spearhead of the revolutionization of the fighting airplane. It replaced older airplanes like the Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2s and F.E.2s. Both these airplanes were built to fly but forced to fight. The Sopwith Pup on the other hand, was an airplane designed and built with the express purpose to fight.

Like most aircraft of World War One, the Sopwith Pup consisted of a wood framed fuselage, wings, and tail-feathers, and was covered in Irish linen. Originally powered by a 50 hp Gnome 7-cylinder rotary engine, its performance was greatly improved by installing the more powerful, Le Rhone 80 hp 9-cylinder rotary engine. The Pup’s relatively light weight and generous wing area gave it a good rate of climb. Rate of climb was one of the most important qualities a pilot desired from their airplane in World War One. An airplane that could out climb its opponent would be first to gain a precious height advantage. This height could then give a pilot the opportunity to dive on their opponents with speed and often the element of surprise. Additionally, the Pup was equipped with four ailerons; two on its top wing and two on its bottom wing, which gave it an roll-rate superior to those with only two ailerons. This made the Pup extremely maneuverable and it was described by Royal Flying Corps ace and Victoria Cross recipient, Major James McCudden, who stated that “When it came to manoeuvring, the Sopwith [Pup] would turn twice to an Albatros’ once … it was a remarkably fine machine for general all-round flying.”

The Pup was also one of the first British single-seat fighters equipped with a 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun synchronized to allow it to fire through the propeller arc using a Sopwith-Kauper interrupter gear. The Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter was the first allied aircraft to have a reliable form of gun synchronization, and it was brought into operation use in April 1916, helping turn the tides on the Germany forces that had capitalized on their earlier development of gun synchronization technology. The Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter was not actually a purpose-built fighter plane, so it wasn’t until the Sopwith Pup was introduced in October of 1916 that the value of gun synchronization was truly recognized by the allies.

The Pup was officially named the Sopwith Scout. The “Pup” nickname arose because pilots considered it to be the “pup” of the larger two-seat Sopwith 1½ Strutter. All later Sopwith types apart from the Triplane acquired animal names (Camel, Dolphin, Snipe, etc.), which ended up with the Sopwith firm being said to have created a “flying zoo” during the First World War. 

The introduction of the Sopwith Pup ended the absolute air superiority of the German forces that had lasted from July 1915 to early 1916. This period was known as the “Fokker Scourge.” It was called this due to the clear superiority the German forces enjoyed over the allies, due to the success of their newly developed Fokker Eindecker aircraft which was the very first airplane to successfully incorporate a gun synchronization system. This invention providing the German forces with a clear and deadly advantage. When the Sopwith Pup was finally introduced in late 1916, it turned the tide of the air battle and had such a significant effect that the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen, was quoted as saying “We saw at once that the enemy aeroplane was superior to ours.”

As the war raged on and new technologies were developed, the Pup was eventually outclassed by newer German fighters. By 1917 the Pup was completely replaced by modern allied fighters like the Sopwith Camel and the S.E.5a.

After being removed from frontline use, the Sopwith Pup became an important part of the allied pilot training program. When student pilots graduated from the Avro 504K trainer, they moved on to intermediate and advanced pilot training in the Sopwith Pup. In the Pups students would learn more advanced maneuvers and combat techniques that were critical to survival in aerial combat.

Around the time Sopwith Pups were being replaced by more advanced types like the Sopwith Camel, some were used to pioneer carrier-born aircraft operations. On 2 August 1917, a Pup flown by Sqn Cdr Edwin Dunning became the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship, HMS Furious. Landings on the ship deck utilised a system of wires to “trap” the aircraft upon touchdown. Several Pups were deployed to cruisers and battleships where they were launched from platforms attached to gun turrets. This operational role was to assist in countering Zeppelin attacks on England.

Many Canadian pilots flew the Sopwith Pup during WWI, including Billy Bishop, Raymond Collishaw, Donald MacLaren, and William Barker, but the Canadian with the most confirmed aerial victories in the Sopwith Pup was Joseph Fall, who was born and raised in Hillbank, BC, just south of Duncan on Vancouver Island. Joseph Fall accumulated 11 aerial victories with the Sopwith Pup before moving on to the Sopwith Camel. In total Joseph Fall had 36 aerial victories to his name, making him the 7^th highest scoring Canadian ace of World War One, and 18^th amongst all aces that served with the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service.

In total 1,770 Sopwith Pups were built by Sopwith themselves, and by numerous other companies that built them under contract. Of these Pups, today there are only 3 survivors and all of them are located in the United Kingdom. One is privately owned and under restoration to airworthy condition, and the other two are in the Royal Air Force Museum in Cosford, UK and the Museum of Army Flying in Wallop, UK, respectively.