Sopwith B.1
{{Short description|British WW1 biplane bomber aircraft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
|name = B.1 |image = |caption = }}{{Infobox aircraft type |type = Bomber |manufacturer = Sopwith Aviation Company |designer = |first flight = 1917 |introduced = 1917 |introduction= |retired = |status = |primary user = Royal Naval Air Service |more users = |produced = |number built = 2 |unit cost = |developed from = |variants with their own articles = }} |
The Sopwith B.1 was an experimental British bomber aircraft of the First World War. A single-seat, single-engined biplane, the B.1 was built by the Sopwith Aviation Company for the Royal Navy. Although only two were built, one was used for bombing raids over France.
Development and design
In late 1916, Sopwith, whose earlier 1½ Strutter had proved successful as a light bomber (particularly when operated as a single seater), designed a new, single-engined bomber aircraft. The new bomber was developed in parallel with the Cuckoo carrier-based torpedo bomber and closely resembled the Cuckoo. It, like the Cuckoo, was a compact tractor biplane, powered by a 200 hp (149 kW) Hispano-Suiza water-cooled engine. Unlike the Cuckoo, the bomber's two-bay wings did not fold. It was designed as a single-seat aircraft, with the pilot sitting in a cockpit under the wing centre section to give a good view forwards and downwards for bombing. The aircraft bombload of up to 560 lb (255 kg) was carried vertically within the fuselage, in cells behind the pilot.Bruce 1957, pp. 593–596.Mason 1994, pp. 80–81.
While no orders followed from either the Admiralty, whose needs for a single-engined bomber had been met by the Airco DH.4 or the Royal Flying Corps, Sopwith obtained a license to build a prototype of the new bomber, designated Sopwith B.1 as a private venture, probably hoping for orders from the French Aéronautique Militaire.Bruce (2001), p. 1. This prototype first flew in early April 1917, being tested officially later that month, where it demonstrated good performance, but was tail heavy when carrying a bomb load and nose heavy without, and was tiring to fly.
It was sent to France following these tests, in the mistaken belief that the French wanted to test the aircraft. Once in France, the unwanted B.1 was acquired by the British Royal Naval Air Service, given the serial number N.50 and issued to 5 Squadron, RNAS, on 16 May 1917 for operational evaluation.Bruce 2001, p. 4. Fitted with a single forward-firing Lewis gun, the B.1 was flown on a number of bombing raids against targets in German-occupied Belgium. While its performance was praised, it was again noted that the B.1 was tiring to fly, and that the lack of manoeuvrability or any useful defensive armament meant that it was vulnerable to hostile fighters.Bruce 2001, pp. 5–6.
The prototype B.1 was sent to the Marine Experimental Aircraft Depot on the Isle of Grain in autumn 1917 for reconstruction as a two-seat carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft with folding wings. The initial attempts at modifying the aircraft were not successful, but the B.1 formed the basis of the Port Victoria Grain Griffin, a major redesign of the B.1 with new wings and a wider fuselage.
A second B.1 was built in early 1918, being fitted with the elevator control cables routed outside the fuselage in an attempt to improve control. This aircraft was purchased by the RNAS and tested at Martlesham Heath in April–May 1918.Bruce 2001, pp. 7–9.
Operators
Specifications (B.1)
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=The British Bomber since 1914 Mason 1994, p. 83.
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|length ft=27
|length in=0
|length note=
|span ft=38
|span in=6
|span note=
|height ft=9
|height in=6
|height note=
|wing area sqft=460
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight lb=1700
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=3055
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Hispano-Suiza 8B
|eng1 type=V-8 water-cooled piston engine
|eng1 hp=200
|eng1 note=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed mph=118.5
|max speed sigfig=3
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed note=
|range miles=
|range note=
|combat range miles=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=3{{frac|3|4}} hours
|ceiling ft=19000
|ceiling note=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|10000|ft|0}} in 15 minutes 30 seconds
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=6.64
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.065|hp/lb}}
|more performance=
|guns=1x forward-firing .303 in Lewis gun
|bombs=Up to 560 lb (255 kg) bombs including twenty 28 lb (13 kg) bombs or twenty French 10 kg (22 lb) bombs in fuselage bomb bay
}}
See also
{{aircontent
|related=*Sopwith Cuckoo
|similar aircraft=*Sunbeam Bomber
|lists=*List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service
|see also=
}}
References
{{Reflist}}
- Bruce, J. M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London:Putnam, 1957.
- Bruce, J. M. Sopwith B.1 & T.1 Cuckoo: Windsock Datafile 90. Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, UK: Albatros Publications, 2001. {{ISBN|1-902207-41-6}}.
- Mason, Francis K. The British Bomber since 1914. London:Putnam, 1994. {{ISBN|0-85177-861-5}}.
{{Sopwith Aviation Company aircraft}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1910s British bomber aircraft