AEBO MODEUER

AIRCRAFT DESCRIBED Number 106 Described & drawn by P. L. G RAY

N 5430 seen at right and below left, was one of a batch of 75, numbered from N 5420 to il 5494, built bt the Sopwith Aviation Co. Ltd. This machine w* transferred to the R.f.C. preumably for evaluation or compara- tive tests, Below right, a Number I R.l{.4.S. Squadron lin€-up. l{ote absence of roqndels, The aircraft with white fin is that of the Flight Commander, H. V. Rowl€y. t.w.M, Fhoto gr o9h Q.679 4 Tnn SopwIrH TRIrLANE was evolvedin the Sopwith Squadronsand did not equip R.F.C. units. First Squadron design office during the early months of 1916 in an to receive the type was No. I (Naval) Sqdn. which, endeavourto combine the maximum of llft and visibility having spent several weeks working up on the type, with optimum manouevreability.Although of uncon- began their first operationalsorties during the opening ventional configuration, it followed orthodox con- daysof April l9l7 at the Battleof Arras.No. 8,9 and l0 structional methods and differed little, basically, from (Naval) Sqdns, were likewise equipped and also began the Pup which preceededit. The fuselage w€rsa box- offensivepatrols during April 1917. girder of spruce and spacers, braced in all It wasthis month of April l9l7 that cameto be known bays with piano wire. An acute curve of the longerons as "" by the flying services due to thc into the sternpost (in plan view), was obtained by disastrous casualties they suffered-mainly by the B.E. slitting the longerons vertically with a saw cul for a equipped Corps Squadrons-at the hands (or guns) of distanceof about threefeet, gluing in a strip of three-ply, the sleek German Albatros DllI scouts. However. the and then binding with tape to the required curve. At squadrons soon dis-abused the Albatros the forward end of the fuselage a circular sheet steel Staffeln of any senseof invincibility and were clearly able engine plate was fitted and the contours were faired to outclimb and outmanoeuvre their stationary engined into the slab sidesas far aft as the cockpit over a frarne- opponenls, work of light stringers, hence the patchwork quilt Evidence of the Sopwith machine's superiority in all effect seen in some photographs. Upper decking was but fire power is exampledby two of No. I curved, and the single Vickers machine-gun mounted (Naval) Sqdn.which, flown by Flt. Cdr. Roderick Dallas centrally in front of the cockpit; the curved decking and Flt. Sub. Lt. T. C. Culling on April 2lst, 1917, was continued with increased radius as far aft as the attacked a composite formation of fourteen German . Its 110 h.p. Clerg:t (and later the 130 h.p.) single and two seatersbound for the Allied lines at was completely housed in a circular 16,ffi0 feet. The two Triplanesharassed them for three- aluminium cowling with additional cooling slots fretted quarters of an hour to such effect that they aborled their in the lower segment. mission, broke formation and dived ignomin,iously, lnitially, tail units were near identical to those of the eastwards,three of their Comradeshaving fallen. Pup, the tailplane being of wood and the elevators, "8" Flight of No. l0 (Naval) Sqdn. was originally an rudder and fin of light gauge steel tube. Later the tail- alt Canadianflight, to becomeone of the most formidable plane and elevators were revised and reduced in area fighting units of World War One. ln three months, to improve diving characteristicsand generalsensitivity. during 1917,they destroyedbetween them no lessthan The novel wing configuration had advantages,especi- 87 enemy aircraft. Triplanes of "B" Flight variously ally in the narrow chord that was employed, this bestow- bore the names"Black Death", "Black Maria", "ljlack ing an excellentfield of view and at the sametime limiting Roger", "Black Sheep" and "Black Frince" and in the the movement of the centre of pressurewith changesof past were thought to have beenpainted black or indigo, incidence, thereby enabling a relatively short fuselage howeveropinion now seemsinclined to the fact that they to be used. Of parallel chord, the wings themselveswere were "Standard finish" aircraft with nothing more black of identical and based on two closely spaced spruce about them than their name. main spars, ribs were interspaced with two false ribs. By the end of l9l7 the Triplanes had been replaced In action the triplanewas.flown solely by the R,N.A.S. by the more powerfully armed Camel with its twin Colour detall: Wrrx rne exeption of the prototype which was covercd all over with plain unblached fabric, Sopwith Triplanes were doped the regulation khaki-gren on the upper surfaes and on the verti€l surfaces of the fuselage. Undemeth they were left th€ natural fabric which when doped and vamished obtaine.d a-creamy shade which darkened with age. Cowling and metal pancls were oiten left bright by factoris but were invariably painted over dark grcy or khaki-gren on operations. Whel dis6 were left natural fabric by maken, but again were often doped khaklgr@n in usage as was also the case with fins of Sopwith built machines.Serial numbers were painted on rsr fuselag€ just ahead of tailplane, either in Ehire or in blaclr superinrposedon a smaU white rctangle. Roundels appared above and below the wings (full chord) and on fuselage sides, those upon the khaki-gren surfaces bcing nanowly outlined in white although this was not invariably the qse with fuselage roundels. The equal width, blue whil.e and red rudder strip$ had the blue BASIC FUSELAGE FRAMEWORK IOremost. Triplane No. I (Naval) Sqdn. dispensed with fuselage roundels AND CENTRE.SECTION STRUTS of and bore a rectangular white/red/white flash ahead of the serial. Betwen this markin8 and the cockpit larbe white numerals, the. full width b€tween the longerons] were carried - I to 18, (Scephotograph.) SPECIFICATION Power Plana: I l0 h.p. Clerget rotary- later ll0 h.p. Clcrset. Span:26 ft.6 in. all wings. Chord: 3 ft. 3 in. all wincs. Gap: 3 ft. 0 in. borh. Length: 18 ft. l0 in. Dihedral: 2* decrees. Speed: I l6 ?n.p.-h.ar 6.500 ft. 105 m.p.h. at 15,000ft. Climb: 6,50Ofi. in 6 min. 20 se. 10,000ft. in l0 min. 30 sec. 15,000ft. in 19 min. Weights: Empty 993 lb. Loaded 1,415lb. I Armament: One fixed synchronised I Vickes machine cun. N.B.-W?ights and pe-rformanceapply to ,],1 , t,Jv h.p. Lterget tlpe, ".] Derlatsl^ N500 Prototypq N.504-N.524 soDwrth N.54i-543 I Ctayton- and N.5350-5389r Shuttleworth. N.535-538 C-layton and Shuttle- til worth. This batch fitted twitr -r--T--T--il machine-suns. tll N.5420-5.t94Sopwith. N.5910-59t2Oakley. I N.6290-6309 Sopwith.

I WING SECTI ON . ALL THREE WINGS IDENTICAL

UPPER WING PANEL

EARLY TYPE TAILPLANE

CENTRE WING PANEL

Vickers installation. No. I (Naval) Sqdn. retained their Triplanes until November l9l7 when they returned to to So passed Dover -re-equip.. .the .sopwith Triplane, one of the few machineswith uhich pilots werereluclanl to part and one that was never really out-classedbv its opposing scout types. One Sopwith Triplane, No. 5glZ remains intact.inlact,- kept by the AirAir. MinistrvMinisrry and recenllyrer€nltv renovated bybv Hawkers at Dunsfold.

(Reference to J. M. Bruce, M.A., researchesls acknowledged,l SOPWITH TRIPLANE. CLERGET FT.