Squadron Signal - Aircraft In Action 1110 Sopwith Fighters
By the time the First World War started in August of 1914. Thomas Sopwith had already distinguished himself in the aviation world by setting an amazing number of aerial records. He had crowned these accomplishments with the establishment of the Sopwith Aviation Company. His company went on to produce an aircraft which won for Great Britain much coveted Schneider Trophy (in the second of the Schneider races). Indeed, the future seemed bright for the Sopwith Company in the sporting field, with an entry submitted for the Aerial Derby and plans in motion to compete in the London-Paris-London Air Race. All of these plans quickly vanished with the outbreak of war, with military orders fully occupying the output of the two Kingston factories for the next four years.
The first Sopwith aircraft to go to war were also among the earliest military machines to betaken on strength by the Royal Naval Air Service. After the opening of hostilities, a pair of standard Sopwith Tabloids, a Tractor Biplane and the prototype Tabloid were all impressed into Admiralty service.
It was not long before the first two Tabloids were to make history when their pilots. LT Spencer Grey and LT Marix. were ordered to bomb the airship sheds at Dusscldorf and Cologne during October of 1914. To reach the first of these targets called for an outward trip of 103 miles, with the second target being nine miles more distant; long range missions for open cockpit biplanes.
Sopwith Fighters in Action (Aircraft 110)
Автор: Peter Cooksley
Publisher: Squadron/Signal Publications Inc. 1991
Страниц: 50 Pages
Язык: English
ISBN: 089747256X
Формат: PDF
Размер: 10 MB
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