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Period: to
World War I
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The First Flight of the Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel was designed and manufactured at Booklands, It was a one-seated biplane fighter with a powerful engine and syncronised machine guns which fired through the propellor (this gave pilots an advantage in dogfights with more focused firing). The plane itself, however, was notoriusly difficult to fly with 90% of its weight at its front, making it a nightmare for starters. -
Sopwith Camel Enters Service
Within a year of its first flight, the Sopwith Camel had been introduced into a few RAF Squadrons. It became popular among the experienced pilots due to the fact that it was more agile, stronger (weapon-wise) and more accurate in shooting than its perdecessor, the Pup.
Despite this, the Camel still proved a hard plane to fly. The rotary engine produced enough torque to affect turing and, as a result, it could turn right really quickly, but less quickly when turing left. -
Record Attempt: The Sopwith Atlantic
Designed and built in Brooklands, the Sopwith Atlantic, took off from Newfoundland in May 1919 in attempt to fly across the Atlantic for a £10000 prize offered by the Daily Mail. With a wingspan of 14.18m, maximum speed of 118mph and space for two crew members and food, it stayed in the air for -
Hawker Fury Takes to the Skies
The Hawker Fury was designed and built at Brooklands and was an improvement on its predecessor, the Hawker F.20/27. It had an improved Rolls-Royce engine which made it the RAF's first operational fighter aircraft to be able to exceed 200 mph (322 km/h) in level flight. -
The Hurricane's First Flight
The Hawker Hurricane was built in both Brooklands and Kingston upon Thames and were one of the most iconic planes of World War II, winning 60% of dogfights (better than the Spitfire). It had four 13.2 mm syncronized machine guns and was easily repairable if any damage took place (unlike the Spitfire) -
Period: to
World War II
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The Tempest
The Hawker Tempest was a improved version of the Typhoon and one of the most powerful planes of World War II. It was equipped with 47 mm "P" guns and the Mk IIC gyroscopic gunsight which increased its accuracy significantly. -
Hawker Sea Hawk
The Hawker Sea Hawk was the company's first jet plane. Utilizing the best jet engine technology they had at the time, the Sea Hawk could travel at speeds up to 600mph. Unlike its rival, the Supermarine Attacker, it could land on carriers easily due to a landing gear.
It is among the fastest of planes with reciprocating engines. -
The Future of Aircraft Jets - Hawker Hunter
By the end of World War II, it had become obvious that the future of aviation was in jet propulsion. In July, 1951, the Hawker Hunter took to the skies with a more aero-dynamic design and more powerful engine than the Sea Hawk. It was equiped with a 30mm ADEN Cannon with 150 rounds of ammunition per gun. However, due to fuel limitations, the Hawker Hunter could only spend up to an hour in flight. -
The Harrier
The Hawker Harrier was a feat of engineering. It was a very powerful ground attack aircraft. Equipped with rotatable jets, it could take off vertically (something that the Sea Hawk couldn't do). However, the Harrier has been criticized for a high accident rate due to this (landing method).
