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Kingston's Aviattion History
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Sopwith Camel- First Flight
The Sopwith Camel was a very importanrt plane for the English side In World War 1. It had many strengths for example, it was the first plane to have two vicker guns and it was very agile. As well as this, the Camel also had wing top guns which made it even stronger. Also, the Camel was one of the easiest planes to fly which meant that the less experienced could also help out in the air. Facts:
Top Speed-112.5mph
Bomb Load-4 20pound bombs
Range-250miles -
Sopwith Dolphin-First Flight
The Dolphin came after the Camel and had a unique difference. Unlike other planes, the Dolphin had as Hispano-Suiza liquid cooled engine. The palne was also similar to the Sopwith Camel as it also had four guns. However, the Dolphin was not as succesful as the Camel which shot down the majority of enemy planes. -
Sopwith Snipe-First Flight
The Snipe took over the Camel and played a big role in helping the British win WW1. From the beginning, the Snipe had problems. However, once the issues were resolved, over 2,000 Sopwith Snipes were made in Kingston. the Snipe had an impressive altidtude of almost 20,000ft, a top speed of 121mph and an endurance of three hours which made it a strong competitor. -
Formation of the Hawker Company
In the year of 1920, the next revolutionary plane company came into buisness taking over the Sopwith planes. -
Hawker Woodcock's First Flight
In 1921, the production of the first hawker aircraft began and in 1923, it flew for the first time. The plane had its strenghts for example, it was a night plane, it had a good range and height and it also had good handiling. However, the future of the plane was not so bright as it also had many deficiencies due to new designer Captain BThompson. -
Hawker Cygent-First Flight
In 1923, a man named Sydney Camm entered the Hawker industry and was later comissioned to make the Hawker Cygnet. He was told to make the plane two seater and super lightweight. The plane was a sucess and took of for its first flight in 1924. It finished weighing at 373 lbs however, only two were produced. These adjustments that Camm's made were also what made the Cygnet better than the Woodcock Facts:
Range-5000ft
Speed-182mph -
Hawker Tomtit
The Hawker Tomtit was the first trainer plane that was made by Hawker. It was very robust, had good handling and also had two seats. This made it perfect for those who had less experience in flying. Although it was an excellent plane, only twenty or so were bought to be used in the RAF due to high price. Facts:
Max Speed- 124mph
Range-350miles
Max Height-19,500ft
Range-350miles
Max Height-19,500ft -
Hawker Hart
The Hawker Hart was one of the first biplanes invented again by Sydney Camm. The Hart was an immediate success by being designed to be fast and lightweight. As well as this, the Hart was easy to make which meant that a lot more were manufactured.The Hart had developed from previous Hawker's as it had a range of 430miles, a top speed of 185mph and a maximum height of 22,800ft. -
Hawker Fury
The Hawker Fury was a special plane for the Hawker company as it was their first plane to exceed 200mph. These specific range of planes were so popular that they were exported to Spain, South Africa and even Persia. Later on, the Hawker Fury II was to be released, which had a top speed of 220mph. This was seen as another major improvement and that better planes were to come. The plane was the perfect package with the speed, the handling and the altitude of almost 30,000ft. -
Hawker Hurricane-First Flight
The Hawker Hurricane was Sydney Camm's best plane yet as it served for the country during The Battle of Britain. The Hurricane was the first RAF plane to exceed a speed limit of 300mph, and it was also the first RAF plane to have eight guns attached to it. Over 14,000 of the Hurricane'a were made and later on when the ten gun Hawker Hurricane arrived there were no shortages either. Facts:
Range-300miles
Max Height-36,000ft
2x500lbs bomb load -
Hawker Typhoon
The Hawker Typhoon was a strong and well equiped plane that had four 20mm cannons. Another factor that made the typhoon a good plane was that its top speed was 400mph. However, because of the Typhoon's thick wings, it was not a very good interceptor but instead, it was excellent at ground attack. Although the Typhoon was one of the fastest planes at the time, it had many problems which meant that it was scrapped five years later. -
Hawker Tempest-First Flight
The Hawker Tempest had evolved from the Typhoon and still had the four 20mm cannons. The Tempest was considered to be the best low altitude fighter and as well as this, it was also the fastest as it travelled at a top speed of 545mph. It was another victorius Hawker aircraft as it shot down more German aircrafts than other planes and because of this, 2,000 were made. -
Hawker Sea Hawk-First Jet Fighter
Towards the end of the WW2, the Hawker Sea Hawk came into production with a Roll Royce Nene engine. As a jet fighter, the Sea Hawk had an impressive top speed of 600mph and also had a maximum altitude of 44,500ft. Apart from this, the aircraft also had four 20mm guns, could hold 20 rockets and also had the capacity for four 500g bombs. The Sea Hawk was not only used by the Royal Navy but the German, Indian and Netherland Navies as well. -
Hawker Hunter
The Hawker Hunter was the second jet fighter designed by the Hawker Company and it may have been their best plane to date. Similar to the Sea Hawk, the Hunter was very agile, had a top speed of 715mph and was heavily armed with space for four 30mm guns, 36 missiles, 4 rockets and many bombs. This is what made the Hunter so successful and a major threat to its enemies. Facts:
Range-445 miles
Max Height-50,000ft -
Hawker P.1127
This was the first plane to be designed by Sydney Camm's project engineer Ralph Hooper. The unique speciality that the P.1127 had was that its engine designed by Gordon Lewis, allowed it to take off vertically. The P.1127 was a special plane however, only six were made and the production was cancelled. Later was to come the new face of the Hawker Company called the Harrier. -
Hawker Harrier
The first types of Siddley's Harriers were the best attack planes that had been made during th war. They were very powerful, heavily armed and gentle when it came to flying. The Hawker Harriers were aslo vey practicle as they did not need a runway to take off. The aircraft was ssen as a major threat in the air and they were so successful that there are still Harriers that serve in the Navy and Airforce today. Facts:
Top Speed-736mph
Max Height-51,200ft
Range-2,129miles
