Sopwith Pup Reproduction
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Manufacturer: Carl Swanson of Darien, Wisconsin based on the design by Sopwith Aviation Company Ltd Model: Pup Span: 8.0772m / 27ft Year: 1916 Length: 5.89483m / 19ft Height: 2.87122m / 9ft Wing Area: 23.5966m² / 254ft² Short Title: Sopwith Pup Empty Weight: 356.983kg / 787lbs Gross Weight: 555.66kg / 1,225lbs Maximum Speed: 178.599km/h Power Plant: One Le Rhône 9C, 80 h.p. rotary engine Registration: NX6018 Range: 312.548km / 194miles   |
Sopwith Pup Reproduction Some pilots called it, "the perfect plane." The Pup was light, basic, and simply simple. "They were tiny little things," says a British pilot, "just big enough for one man and a machine gun." The machine gun was key -- a trusty Vickers gun equipped with a hydraulic synchronizing gear which allowed it to fire through the propeller. With a good weapon and not much else, it was said that, "a Pup could turn twice to an Albatros' once" -- an invaluable trait in a chaotic dogfight. At a time when other Allied aircraft were suffering terrible losses, German flyers would try to avoid getting into a scrap with a Pup. The Museum's aircraft was built by Carl Swanson of Darien, Wisconsin and is considered to be a masterpiece of replication. It is virtually indistinguishable from the original aircraft -- right down to the Le Rhône 9D, 80-horsepower rotary engine and .303-inch Vickers machine gun. |
