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The Foundation of Sopwith Aviation
Founded in June 1912, the Sopwith Aviation Company would go on to become one of the greatest aircraft manufacturers in history. Managed by Thomas 'Tommy' Sopwith, it would create such technological marvels as the Sopwith Camel, the Hawker Hurricane, and the Hawker-Siddely Harrier. Some of their first planes included the Sopwith-Wright Biplane, and the Sopwith Hybrid Biplane. Planes were built and tested at Brooklands. -
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Sopwith Aviation
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The Sopwith Three-Seater
A short-lived plane designed and built prior to the First-World War, this, one of the first Sopwith aircraft, was flown over Belgium by the RNAS at the start of the Great War. -
Sopwith Bat Boat
A series of flying boats built between 1912 and 1914, these planes were the first successful flying boats and amphibious aircraft. -
Sopwith Tabloid and Schneider
Planes which were originally designed as sports aircraft and later adapted for military use. A floatplane variant was prepared and entered for the 1914 Schneider Trophy race. About about 42 Tabloids and 136 Schneiders were built. -
Sopwith 1913 Circuit of Britain Floatplane
Built to take part in the 1913 Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Air race. The only entrant to start, it had to be withdrawn after a landing accident two-thirds of the way through the race. -
Sopwith Gunbus
Twelve seaplanes and twenty-three gunbuses were made for Greece, then for the British Royal Naval Service, largely as a trainer. -
Sopwith Sociable/Churchill/Tweenie
A single-engined two-seat tractor configuration biplane. Only one was ever built, abandoned following the advance of German troops at Antwerp. -
Sopwith Type 807
A biplane seaplane, this had its floatplane undercarriage fitted after its maiden flight. It participated in the 1914 Circuit, and was later adapted into the Spinning Jenny. 12 were built, but they proved to be underpowered, with fragile floats. -
Sopwith Special torpedo seaplane Type C
Another seaplane designed to lift torpedoes, that could not lift torpedoes. -
The Great War
War with Germany officially began on the twenty-eighth of July, 1914. -
Sopwith Admiralty Type 137/138
Used in torpedo-dropping experiments, only two of these planes were ever made. -
Sopwith Two-Seat Scout
An Anti-Zeppelin scout biplane, it was nicknamed the Spinning Jenny, due to its tendency to spin mid-air. Its official name was the Sopwith Type 880. 24 were built. -
Sopwith Admiralty Type C
A seaplane designed to drop torpedoes, that could not drop torpedoes. Unsurprisingly, only 3 were built. -
Sopwith Type 860
This unswept biplane had unequal wings and two, tandem, open cockpits. 22 were built. -
Sopwith Baby
A development of the two-seat Schneider, the single-seat Baby was used as a shipborne reconnaissance and bomber aircraft operating from seaplane carriers and cruisers, as well as naval trawlers and minelayers. A major role of the Baby was to intercept German Zeppelin raids as far from Britain as possible, along with tracking German naval movements. -
Sopwith 1½ Strutter
The 1½ Strutter, so called because of the "one-and-a-half" (long and short) pairs of cabane struts supporting the top wing, is significant as the first British aircraft to enter service with a synchronised machine gun. 4,500 were built for France and 1,439 for Great Britain. -
Sopwith Pup
A hugely successful forerunner to the Sopwith Camel, the Sopwith Pup was widely liked becuase of its good manoeuvrability and pleasant flying characteristics. 1770 Sopwith Pups were produced, but they were phased out towards the end of 1917, as newer German fighters came to rival them. Despite its good record, the Pup was longnitudanally unstable, but they were used in early experiments for the landing of an aeroplane on a moving ship, which led to the creation of the aircraft carrier. -
Sopwith Triplane
Only 147 of these immensely successful planes were built, whose fuselage and empennage closely mirrored those of the earlier Pup, but chief engineer Herbert Smith gave the new aircraft three narrow-chord wings to provide the pilot with an improved field of view. -
Sopwith Hispano-Suiza Triplane
This plane was so uninfluential, there is not even a Wikipedia article for it. Two were built, and the rest did not even enter production. -
Sopwith Bee
A small experimental aircraft which was built for Sopwith's chief test pilot, Harold Hawker. It was considered for militry use, but ultimately no development was made of the design. -
Sopwith L.R.T.Tr.
Only one of these prototype triplanes was built, before they were withdrawn in favour of smaller, more practical craft. The layout was unusual, with a small gunner's nacelle mounted on the upper wing to give an all-round field of fire. -
Sopiwth Camel
5490 of these, the most successful aircraft of the Great War, were made, which went on to shoot down 1294 enemy aircraft. It was exceedingly difficult to manouevre, with a ridiculously sensitive set of controls. Nevertheless, an experienced pilot would have little trouble 'at the wheel'. A superlative fighter, the Camel was not retired until 1920. -
Sopwith B.1
One of these two planes was used for bombing raids in France, while the other did nothing. The planes were tail-heavy with a bomb in, and nose-heavy without. Tiring to fly, they were retired. -
Sopwith Dolphin
A formidable fighter, 2072 of these were built. However, they were not retained for the Post-War world. They were fitted with dual Vickers machine guns (synchronised) and dual Lewis machine guns (on the forward cabane crossbar). However, the Lewis guns proved unpopular, as they were difficult to aim and tended to swing into the pilot's face. Pilots also feared that the gun butts would inflict serious head injuries in the event of a crash. -
Sopwith Cuckoo
A torpedo-dropping plane, the T.1. was the first landplane specificaly designed for carrier operations. Built too late to participate in the Great War, the T.1. was renamed the Cuckoo, and the 232 planes were retired in 1923. -
Sopwith Hippo
Another unsuccessful prototype, the Hippo had considerable negative stagger, and was retired in favour of the Bristol F.2. Fighter by the Royal Flying Corps. -
Sopwith Snipe
A slow aircraft, even in its day, the Snipe was produced a few months before the end of the War, but remained in (very slow) service until 1926. -
Sopwith Rhino
Two of these triplanes were made as a private venture, but the type did not enter production. -
Sopwith Bulldog
A protype fighter/reconnaissance aircraft, the Bulldog was designed as a replacement for the Bristol F.2., but no replacement was needed. -
Sopwith Dragon
Constantly redeveloped, but never prefected, 200 of these unhappy planes were built before being retired in 1923. -
Sopwith Snail
Two of these were made before being retired; the engine was unreliable. -
Sopwith Salamander
A ground-attack plane, the Salamander was an adapted version of the Snipe, with extra protection around the fuselage to protect the pilot and fuel tank during assaults. 497 were built. -
Sopwith Buffalo
These planes were built (well, two of them) to carry out reconnaissance missions low over the trenches while protected against machine-gun fire from the ground, but no production followed, with the end of the war removing the need for such an aircraft. -
Sopwith Swallow
Derived from the Camel, the Sopwith Scooter and the Sopwith Swallo saw no production, offering no performance advantages over contemporary biplanes. -
The Great War
At eleven o'clock, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eighteenth year of the twentieth century of the second milennium of the first aeon, the Great War ended. -
Sopwith Cobham
The only twin-engined Sopwith aircraft, only three were made as the engines were a total failure. Designed towards the end of, but only flying after, the Great War, the Sopwith Cobham was not exactly a prime example of British fortitude. -
Sopwith Snapper
Three were made before the engine proved unsatisfactory, and the model was retired. -
Sopwith Atlantic
Designed to be the first plane to cross the Atlantic, the attempt was abandoned halfway through when the engine overheated. -
Sopwith Snark
The Snark was created to replace the Sopwith Snapper, but did not fly until after the end of the war, with only three being built. The Snark had a wooden monocoque fuselage and had equal span single-bay wings with ailerons on each wing. It was, therefore, very heavy for a single seat fighter, because of its armament: two synchronised Vickers guns inside the fuselage, and four Lewis guns mounted under the lower wings, firing outside the propeller disc. These guns were inaccessible to the pilot. -
Sopwith 1919 Schneider Cup Seaplane
A seaplane which participated in the 1919 Schneider Cup. The race was abandoned due to fog. It was later adapted into the Sopwith Rainbow Racer. -
Sopwith Gnu
One of the first cabin aircraft designed for civil use, only thirteen were built, with two crashing during the 1920s. The rest were retired soon after, and dismantled. Despite being the first 'passenger jet', it could only hold one passenger. -
Sopwith Wallaby
The Wallaby was designed to compete in an Australian government £10,000 prize for an England to Australia flight, with two seats in its open cockpit that could be retracted inside the enclosed cabin. It crashed. -
Sopwith Antelope
Based on the Sopwith Wallaby, the Antelope was restricted to one aircraft, before being retired in 1935 after the liquidation of Sopwith Aviation. -
Hawker Aircraft
When Sopwith went bust, it was dissolved into Hawker aircraft, which would design some of the most magnificent aircraft ever, like the Hurricane (pictured). -
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Hawker Aircraft
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Sopwith Grasshopper
A unremarkable plane. Only one was made. -
Sopwith Aviation goes bankrupt, becomes Hawker Aircraft.
The aftermath of WWI resulted in the bankruptcy of the Sopwith Aviation Company. Sopwith test pilot Harry Hawker and three others, including Thomas Sopwith, bought the assets of Sopwith and formed H.G. Hawker Engineering in 1920. -
Hawker Duiker
An all wood plane, it was ultimately unsucessful due to the wings' swept back structure, the plane had a tendency to be unstable at high speeds; also tended to end up sans wings. Only one was ever built. The Duiker was supposed to be used for reconnaissance. -
Hawker Woodcock
Used by the RAF as a night fighter. Armed with synchronised twin Vickers machine guns. Had early structural problems which were soon fixed. -
Hawker Cygnet
An ultralight biplane, it was built to win a"Light AIrcraft Competition" hosted by the Royal Aero Club, with £3000 offered in prizes. Only two were built, and they came in first and second place. -
Hawker Hedgehog
A naval reconnaissance plane made of wood, but covered with fabric. The project was cancelled as the final plane was inferior to other aeroplanes offered. The aircraft had only one Vickers gun. Only one plane was ever built. -
Hawker Horsley
It was the last all-wooden aircraft built by Hawker Aircraft, and served as a medium day bomber and torpedo bomber with the RAF, It could carry a 975kg torpedo and two 250kg bombs which led to it being favoured over other aircraft. -
Hawker Hornbill
A wood-metal mix, the Hornbill was very fast but lacking in stability and control, the cockpit restricted the movement of the pilot and the power plant and radiator had a tendenacy to blow up. As a result, the RAF didn't commission it and only one aircraft was ever built. -
Hawker Heron
It was Hawker's first fighter aircraft made with an metal structure. It was fabric covered and had twin Vickers miachine guns. Its handling properties were praised by pilots but only one was ever built. -
Hawker Danecock
Developed from the Woodcock for the Danish Army, the only differences were that the Danecock had unequal span wings, a slightly lengthened fuselage, a 385 hp (287 kW) Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar IV engine and an armament of two .303 in (7.7 mm) Madsen machine guns. Only fifteen were built -
Hawker Harrier
Not to be confused with the Hawker Siddeley Harrier, the Harrier was an experimental biplane torpedo bomber aircraft. It was armed with one Vickers machine gun and one Lewis gun, and it could carry a maximum of 454kg worth of bombs. However, it was found to be underpowered, being incapable of taking off with a torpedo, gunner and a full fuel load. It was therefore not considered by the RAF, who chose the Vickers Vildebeest instead. -
Hawker Hawfinch
A biplane, the Hawfinch was snubbed by the RAF in favour of the faster and more maintainable Bristol Bulldog. It had twin Vickers machine guns and was all metal, covered with fabric. -
Hawker Hart
A prominent British aircraft in the inter-war period, the Hart by the Second World War, was dated compared to newer monoplanes. The Hart had a metal structure and had both a Vickers machine gun and a Lewis gun. Up to 240 kg of bombs could be carried, The hawker was manufactored by a wide selection of aircraft companies (due to demand). Of the 962 built in the United Kingdom, Hawker produced 234, Armstrong Whitworth 456, Gloster 46, Vickers 226, and 42 were produced in Sweden under licence. -
Hawker F.20/27
The Hawker F.20/27 fell victim to cannibalism within the family- the developement of the Hawker Fury soon proved superior, meaning only one was ever built. A radial motor was installed. -
Hawker Hoopoe
Cannibalism in the family (again) meant that Hawker's own Nimrod was superior to it, and only one Hoope was ever built. The Hoope was meant to be a naval fighter. -
Hawker Tomtit
The Tomtit's frame was made of steel and duralumin tubes. Because the Tomtit was a trainer aircraft, the cockpits were tandem. A cockpit hood was fitted so blind flying by instructions only was possible. The Cirrus powered machine had turned out to be rather underpowered. -
Hawker Hornet
A singled engine biplane with a metal structure, it had a underpowered engine and only one was ever built. Its general design was reused for the Hawker Fury. -
Hawker Fury
The first interceptor in the RAF to be able to do 200mph, it was used in tandem with the Hawker Hart, a light bomber. It used the general design of the Hawker Hornet. 275 were built, reflecting its sucess. -
Hawker Nimrod
92 Nimrods were built. Its unswept, constant chord, round tipped wings had unequal span and strong stagger, partly to enhance the pilot's view. By the start of the Second World War, the Nimrods had been replaced with more modern designs. -
Hawker P.V.3
A biplane created by Hawker to meet a specification, that was too late to meet the specification, despite praise for its handling and performance. Only one was built. -
Hawker Hind
Developed from the Hawker Hart, structural elements were a mixture of steel and duralumin with the wings being fabric covered. The engine was upgraded from the Hart and 528 were built, largely as an interim measure. -
Hawker P.V.4
Intended as an all purpose aircraft, it was found to be unable to cary a torpedo, but it could dive. Unfortunately, the RAF was more interested in torpedo carrying than diving and so they didn't commission this aircraft. Only one was built. -
Hawker Hurricane
The hero of the Battle of Britain, the Hurricanes (all 14,583 of them) accounted for 60% of RAF air victories in the Battle of Britain. The design evolved with several adaptations of the Hurricane, for example, the Sea Hurricane which allowed operation from ships. The easy design, which used well-understood manufactoring techniques allowed easy repair as well as quick building. The Hurricane was truely the unsung hero of the Second World War; without it, would our air force have been so great? -
Hawker Hector
Intended as a replacement for the Audax, just 179 were built, used as target-tugs. -
Hawker Henley
Derived from the successful Hurricane, this was a two seat target tug, that unfotunately suffered from a problem whereby the engine cut out in mid air and several Henleys were lost. Th RAF couldn't find a solution and so the Henley was withdrawn from service. -
Hawker Hotspur
A Henley was redesigned to have a four gun turret, the trials went well but Hawker was unable to produce it and nor could other companies due to the large impact the Hurricane had on production, so only the prototype was ever built. -
Hawker Tornado
Planned as a replacement for the Hurricane, production was cancelled as the engine planned, the Rolls-Royce Vulture, proved unreliable in service. Only 4 were built. -
Hawker Typhoon
The Typhoon was intended to be a medium–high altitude interceptor, as a replacement for the Hawker Hurricane but several design problems were encountered and it never completely satisfied this requirement; although 3,317 were built. -
Hawker Tempest
An improved derivative of the Hawker Typhoon, it emerged to be one of the most powerful fighters used in the War, mainly due to its revolutionary "laminar flow" wings, which were much thinner than any other wing design then in use. 1,702 of these were built. -
Hawker Sea Fury
The Sea Fury was really the last of its kind, in terms of technology. The Sea Fury stretched the capability of the technology available then (before new technology was invented), being one of the fastest piston-engined aircraft ever built and it was the last propeller driven fighter to serve with the Navy. It was too late to have any action in the war, entering service two years after the end of the war, and so the Sea Fury saw action in the Korean War, with 864 being built, mostly for the RN. -
de Havilland Dove
542 of these short-haul airliners were made, a popular aircraft, widely considered the best postwar civil design. Hawker-Siddeley built them. -
Hawker Sea Hawk
The Sea Hawk was Hawker's first jet aircraft. After successful acceptance in the RN, it proved to be a reliable and sturdy aircraft and went on to export success abroad, with 542 being built, mostly for the Royal and German Navys, with the aircraft finally being retired in 1983, some thirty years after being introducted, A true workhorse, I'm sure you'll agree. -
Hawker P.1052
The Hawker P.1052 was an experimental aircraft built by Hawker for trials for swept wings. Work was discontinued in favour of the Hawker Hunter. -
Hawker P.1081
An aircraft built for a bid for an Austrailian government contract that Hawker cancelled. The aricraft was later used for swept tail experiments, with the aircraft, pilot and all the experimental work being lost in a sad plane crash on 3rd of April 1951. -
Hawker P.1072
The Hawker P.1072 was a Hawker Sea Hawk modified to install an Armstrong Siddeley Snarler rocket booster under its tail. Soon after, the government decided that turbojets with reheat (afterburner) would be used instead of rocket power. The project was cancelled. -
Hawker Hunter (Part 2)
(continued from part 1) amazing, considering that this was back in 1953 (727.63 mph). The "Black Arrows", on one occasion looped a record-breaking 22 examples in formation with this plane too. The Hunter also set numerous aviation records, including absolute speed records. 1,972 Hunters were built. The Hunters was praised for its quick turnaround time, enabled by features such as its removable gun pack, pressurised fuelling system, and its easy handling in flight. (continuted in part 3) -
Hawker Hunter (Part 3)
Although the Supermarine Swift had initially been politically favoured by the British Government, the Hunter proved to be far more successful and would have a lengthy service life with various operators (as discussed), in part due to its low maintenance requirements and operating costs. Hopefully the size of the Hunter's entry shows you just how brilliant this plane was, and still is. -
Hawker Hunter (Part 1)
Possibly the greatest aircraft ever manufactored by Hawker (along with the Hurricane), the Hunter is still used today, actively, by the Lebanese Air Force, over 50 years since its introduction. I could end it at that, as it really says it all about the quality of the Hunter, but the Hunter deserves more. The three prototype aircraft made in just three years between the Sea Hawk and the Hunter really paid off, resulting in a world air speed record, something which is really (please see part two) -
de Havilland Sea Vixen
A jet fighter built by Hawker-Siddeley, the Sea Vixen was only built 145 times, before a hideous airshow accident killed a member of the public (the only such accident ever) . -
Hawker P.1103
A design entered for a request by the Government for a interceptor capable of defending the UK from supersonic bombers, the P.1103, the aircraft was cancelled due to governemnt budget cuts. None were ever built. -
Avro/HS Vulcan
The Vulcan had no defensive weaponry, initially relying upon high-speed high-altitude flight to evade interception. It was later manufactored by HS when it took over Avro. 136 were built. -
Folland/Hawker Siddeley Gnat
A swept-wing small aircraft, the Folland Gnat was used as a trainer aircraft. The design of the Gnat meant that undeveloped countries could build it without using specialised tools, meaning that it was used extensively by the Indian Air Force, who later make ntheir own versions and made a new version under license. Once Folland was taken over by Hawker Siddeley Aviation, it became the Hawker Siddeley Gnat. -
Hawker P.1121
A design for a supersonic fighter aircraft, this was cancelled after the infamous 1957 Defence White Paper by Minister of Defence Duncan Sandys, which called for manned fighter aircraft to be phased out and replaced with guided missiles. -
Hawker-Siddeley Bucanneer
A strike aircraft that served with the Royal Navy, and then the Royal Airforce. It was a subsonic fighter capable of delivering nuclear weapons. It was later bought by Blackburn. -
Hawker Siddeley de Havilland Comet 4
The Comet 4 was, as you might be thinking, a de Havilland airliner, but HS also built it, in the arly 1960s. The Comet 4 had a longer range, higher cruising speed and higher maximum takeoff weight than the Original Comet due to new Avon engines with double thurst. -
AW.650 & AW.660 Argosy
A military transport/cargo aircraft that was the last to be [produced by HS's subsidary Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. 74 were built, retiring in 1991. -
A New Age for Hawker-Siddeley
From here-on-in, Hawker-Siddeley tended to collaborate on and build other firms' planes, rather than designing their own, for example the Concorde (pictured) -
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Hawker-Siddeley Aircraft
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Hawker Siddeley HS 748
380 of these were produced, between 1960 and 1988, by Hawker-Siddely. A passenger airliner, the HS 748 was rather accident-prone; since 1965 nearly 20 accidents and incidents have occurred within their fuselages. -
Hawker P.1127/Kestral
An experimental aircraft leading to the Harrier, the project eventually was renamed into the Harrier once orders came in, to distinguish it from the accidents that the prototypes had. -
HS121 Trident
The Trident was the first in many ways, including being the first three-engined jet airliner (i.e. Douglas DC10, MD11 etc.) and was the frist airliner to make a blind landing, in revenue service, in 1965. The plane was too late to beat the Boeing 727 to market losing numerous orders, and British Airways withdrew the life expired Tridents by 1985 and Chinese airlines by 1990. -
British Aerospace 125
A medium-sized business jet, the BAe 125 is still in service today, and, until the company's end in 1977, was known as the Hawker Siddeley HS.125. The plane can hold six passengers, and originally came with a range of different interiors. More than 1600 of them have been built. -
Armstrong Whitworth AW.681/ Hawker Siddeley HS.681
This plane was a project which could have been a long-range military trnasport aircraft, but was not. -
Hawker Siddeley Andover
A transport aircraft designed for the military, the Andover was desgined for ramp loading, and could fit a Land Rover. 37 were built, for use in the RAF and New Zealand's Air Force. -
Hawker Siddeley P.1154
This prototype for the Harrier was cancelled when the Labour government of 1965 came to power. -
Hawker Siddeley P.139B
The P.139B formed part of the a major equipment procurement plan for the RN in the 1960s intended to give the service a force of new, modern carriers capable of operating air groups consisting of equally modern aircraft. However, cuts in defence spending by the British Government in the mid-1960s meant that these proposals never came to fruition. -
Hawker-Siddeley Nimrod
A radical development of the de Havilland Comet, the first jet airliner, the Nimrod was only retired in 2011, when all of its 51 models were taken out of service. It was a maritime patrol aircraft. -
Hawker-Siddeley Harrier
One cannot stress enough the enormous impact of the Harrier Jump Jet, the first plane to feature vertical take-off and landing, virtually the only plane Great Britain ever sold to America.The ingenious design worked by channeling the hot air from the jet engine in different directions through a rotating vent. One could go in any direction, in a revolutionary new manner. It defined the Vietnam War, it was the turning point in aeronautical history, they were 278 of the greatest planes ever built. -
Concorde
Concorde made its first flight on this day, but Hawker-Siddeley had had a hand in it from the beginning, assissting in the unique design. This was the start of a legend. -
Airbus A300
561 of these were made, with Hawker-Siddeley making the wings. It was the first airliner to offer real competition to Boeing (in terms of like for like aricraft; Douglas doesn't count has they produced trijets). They were only retired in 2007 (for passenger service), the freight version is still going today. -
HS.1182 Hawk
So amazing was this aircraft, that Tiffin's filter called it a "weapon", so all I can find out is that it is used as a jet fighter training aircraft, and is currently built by BAE Systems. -
The End of Hawker-Siddeley
On this day, the company went into administration, and shut down. It was not until 1992, however, that the company was totally gone. -
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The Final Days
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HS/BAe 146 (Avro RJ)
A regional airlner, this is Britian's most sucessful jet programmer, still used today. At its launch, it was hailed as "the world's quietest airliner." The aircraft proved to be useful on short haul as well as regional routes. The aircraft is profitable on most routes with only marginally more than half the seats occupied need to make a profit. The aircraft is also one of a few allowed at London City Aiport. 387 were produced. -
Kingstonian Aviation Dies
See above.
