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Sopwith Aircraft Pre-Camel
There were various planes created by Sopwith which came before the Camel including:
- The Sopwith-Wright Biplane, the first plane ever created by Sopwith
- The Sopwith Gunbus, the last plane to be built before World War One
- The Sopwith Admirality Type 137, the first plane to be built by Sopwith durign World War One
- The Sopwith Bee, a personal aircraft built for Harry Hawker and the plane built directly before the Camel
- The Sopwith Pup, the plane which the Camel was built to replace -
The Sopwith Aviation Company - Introduction
The Sopwith Aviation Company was the organisation behind the creation of various planes such as the Sopwith Camel and the Sopwith Triplane.
- Founded by Thomas Sopwith in 1912
- Based in Kingston upon Thames
- Employed 5,000 people and built over 16,000 aircraft
- Sopwith founded it when he was only 24 -
The Beginning of the First World War
World War One began on the 28th July 1914.
- The war effectively began due to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
- The war amounted to a total death toll of 37 million, 22 million in the Allies and 15 million in the Central Powers
- Aircraft were a key military tool and were deployed by both sides in the duration of the war
- Some of Britain's vital aircraft were designed and constructed in Kingston -
The Sopwith Camel - Invention
The Sopwith Camel was a fighter biplane which was vital for winning the war.
- Invented by Thomas Sopwith to replace the Sopwith Pup
- Named due to the artillery on the front of the plane shaped like a hump
- Camel had 1294 victories throughout World War II
- Was viewed with controversy by other countries as they believed it was unsafe to fly, slower than it should have been and was very tricky to manoeuvre -
SPAD S.VII - Invention
The French then designed a key plane in the war entitled the SPAD S.VII.
- Initial production began on 10th May 1916 and was for 268 copies of the aircraft
- Early production was slightly faulty which lengthened the amount of time of construction -
SPAD S.VII - First Flight
The SPAD S.VII first flew in May 1916 and designed by Louis Béchereau.
- The SPAD had one 37 mm Puteaux single shot cannon and 1 x 7.7 mm Vickers machine gun onboard
- Almost 7,000 SPADs were built throughout the war
- The SPAD became the first choice of many great French aces including Georges Guynemer -
The Airco DH.4
The Airco DH.4 was an bomber aircraft frequently used in World War One.
- The biplane could carry a Vickers machine gun, a Lewis gun and either 2 230lb or 4 112lb bombs
- Over 6,000 of the DH.4s were built altogether in both the UK and the USA
- Its top speed was 143mph or 216 km/h at sea level, meaning it was very quick
- The plane retired in 1932 by the United States Army -
The Bristol F.2
The Bristol F.2 was a fighter plane created in 1916 and introduced to the war in 1917.
- The F.2 lasted through the war and some time after before being retired in the 1930s
- Similar to the Airco DH.4, the F.2 carried a Vickers and a Lewis gun but onl carried one 240lb bomb
- Over 5,000 of the F.2s were created
- There are three F.2s which have survived until today -
The Sopwith Camel - First Flight
This day marked the initial flight of the Sopwith Camel which would then go on to become an essential aircraft in the war.
- Flown by Harry Hawker, the Australian pilot who helped with various Sopwith designs and creations and later founded Hawker Aircraft
- Flown at Brooklands, a site which was originally a race track but then became a useful testing, storing and creating site for aircraft. Brooklands is now a museum -
Fokker Dr.1 - First Flight
The Fokker Dr.1 flew for the first time on this day and was piloted on various occasions by Manfred von Richthofen.
- 320 aircraft were built but none survived to this day
- Used synchronisation to stop the S[andau guns from shooting out the propellers, which was a common technique discovered by the Germans
- Von Richthofen won 19 of his last 21 victories using the Dr,1 but the plane also caused his death -
Fokker Dr.1 - Invention
The Fokker Dr,1 was the Camel's biggest rival in battle during World War One. -
The End of the First World War
The First World War ended on this day when Germany decided to sign an armistice with the Allies -
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Sopwith Aircraft Post-Camel
There was a range of aircraft created by Sopwith after World War One and leading up to World War Two:
- The Sopwith Snark, the last plane to be built in World War One
- The Sopwith Gnu, the first aircraft to be built once the war ended
- Sopwith 1919 Schneider Cup Seaplane/The Sopwith Rainbow, a racing aircraft first constructed as a seaplane before becoming a land plane and eventually being retired in 1923
- The Sopwith Grasshopper, the last aircraft to be built by the Sopwith Aviation Company -
The Sopwith Aviation Company End
The Sopwith Aviation Company closed after eight years in 1920 after the business collapsed.
- The aircraft continued to be used, in particular the Sopwith Snipe which lasted until the late 1920s
- The aircraft created by the company was used internationally as well as nationally, in the US, France and Belgium
- Although his business fell through, Sopwith was still a prominent figure in the aircraft world, as he soon became part of Hawker Aircraft and H.G. Hawker Engineering -
Establishment of H.G. Hawker Engineering
After the collapse of the Sopwith Aircraft Company, the H.G. Hawker Engineering company was established by Harry Hawker.
- Hawker was not the only founder, as Sopwith also joined him when his business fell through
- H.G. Hawker Engineering later became Hawker Aircraft Limited, and later still Hawker Siddeley Aircraft
- The company was responsible for some of the most essential aircraft of World War Two -
Hawker Duiker
The Hawker Duiker was the first plane ever to be built by H.G. Hawker Engineering.
- The plane first flew in July 1923
- The Duiker was a reconnaissance plane and was created to assist the Army
- Only one aircraft was built
- The weapons onboard were those of the company Vickers which also shared the Brooklands site -
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart was an important plane used between the two wars and was light bomber biplane.
- The aircraft was predominantly used by the Royal Air Force before retiring in 1943
- Onboard was a synchronised Vickers machine gun, a Lewis gun and up to 500lbs of bombs
- The plane's top speed was 185mph/ 298km/h and could reach 10,000ft in 8 minutes and 30 seconds -
Hawker Hind
The Hawker Hind was a developed version of the Hawker Hart, first flown in 1934 and introduced the year after.
- 528 Hawker Hinds were produced between 1935 and 1938
- The Hind had a Vickers machine gun, a Lewis gun and could hold up to 510lb of bombs
- The Hind was not just used in the UK - South Africa, Iran and New Zealand also used the aircraft among others
- The plane was retired in 1957 -
Hawker Hurricane - First Flight
The Hawker Hurricane was one of the most useful planes in World War Two and participated in 60% of the RAF's victories in the Battle of Britain.
- Although they were overshadowed by the Spitfires, the Hurricane was altogether more successful
- More than 14,500 Hurricanes were produced
- Onboard they carried four Hispano Mk II cannons and a maximum of 500lbs worth of bombs -
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is one of the most famous planes to fight in the second world war.
- Over 20,000 were built between 1938 and 1948
- Onboard were two Hispano Mk II cannons, 4 Browning machine guns/2 M2 Browning machine guns and 2 250lb bombs
- Its top speed was 448mph or 717km/h -
The Start of the Second World War
World War Two began on the 1st September 1939 when Germany invaded Poland, also known as the September/Poland Campaign.
- Throughout the war, around 73,000,000 people, both soldiers and civilians, were killed
- Over 150 types of planes in WW2 came from the United Kingdom
- One of the most helpful aircraft used in the war was the Hawker Hurricane, which was built in Kingston -
The Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an air fight between the RAF and the Luftwaffe which lasted for three months and three weeks.
- The main British aircrafts were the Hawker Hurricane, the Spitfire and the Bf 109
- The British won the battle and forced the German Luftwaffe away
- This caused Hitler to threaten Operation Sea Lion, which was a large invasion consisting of both aircraft and amphibious vehicles -
VE Day - The End of World War Two
VE Day, 8th May 1945, marked the end of the war, hence the name Victory in Europe Day.
- The victory came after Hitler's suicide on the 30th April during the Battle of Berlin
- The act of military surrender was signed in Reims, France, on the 7th May, and in Berlin on the 8th
- The surrender was made by Hitler's successor, President of Germany Karl Dönitz -
Hawker Hunter
The Hunter was a subsonic military aircraft used in the 1950s and 60s as a fighter and ground attack monoplane.
- Onboard the Hunter were: four ADEN revolver cannons, four hardpoints to carry either 72 rockets or 32 Hispano SURA rockets, four Sidewinder missiles, four Maverick missiles, a variety of unguided bombs and two drop tanks
- The Hunter broke the world air speed record in 1953, achieving 727.63mph/1,171.01 km/h
- The Hunter is still in use, currently with the Lebanese Air Force -
Hawker Siddeley Harrier
The Hawker Siddeley Harrier was the first plane able to take off from a vertical trajectory and one of the first to use an aircraft harrier on the sea.
- The Harrier was introduced two years after its first flight in 1967
- Onboard the Harrier were: two ADEN cannon pods, five hardpoints to carry 72 rockets, two air missiles and a variety of different bombs, as well as a reconnaissance pod and two drop tanks
- The Harrier was officially retired in 2006 -
Collapse of Hawker Siddeley Aircraft
After 43 years, Hawker Siddeley Aircraft collapsed and was forced to close in 1972.
- Although the company ended in 1972, the aircraft continued to exist and be used until 1977
- Hawker Siddeley had also expanded its products: as well as aircraft, the company made missiles and weapons, space hardware and heavy equipment such as a piece of logging equipment
