Sopwith Snapper
{{short description|British WW1 biplane fighter aircraft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
|name = Snapper |image = |caption = }}{{Infobox aircraft type |type = Fighter |manufacturer = Sopwith |national origin=United Kingdom |designer = |first flight = 1919 |introduced = |introduction= |retired = |status = Prototype |primary user = |more users = |produced = |number built = 3 |unit cost = |developed from = |variants with their own articles = }} |
The Sopwith Snapper was a prototype British fighter aircraft of the First World War. A single-engined biplane designed by the Sopwith Aviation Company to replace the Sopwith Snipe fighter, it first flew after the end of the war, but did not enter service owing to the failure of its engine, only three aircraft being built.
Development and design
In 1918, the British Air Ministry developed a requirement for a single-seat fighter to replace the Royal Air Force's Sopwith Snipes, even though the Snipe had yet to enter service. This requirement, RAF Type 1, specified the new ABC Dragonfly air-cooled radial engine, which had been ordered into production in large numbers on the basis of excellent promised performance and ease of production despite the fact that it had yet to complete testing.
To meet this requirement, Sopwith produced two new and completely different designs, a triplane (the Sopwith Snark) and a more conventional biplane, which was named the Snapper. The Air Ministry ordered three prototype Snappers, along with three Snarks.Bruce 1969, p.56. (In addition Sopwith received orders for 300 Dragonfly powered Snipes as the Sopwith Dragon).
The Snapper was a small single-bay biplane with heavily staggered wings. It was originally intended to have a wooden monocoque fuselage (as did the Sopwith Snail lightweight fighter and the Snark), but this was abandoned to ease production, with a more conventional wire-braced fabric covered fuselage substituted.Mason 1992, p.147. The cockpit was positioned aft of the wings, providing good visibility to the pilot, while two forward firing synchronised Vickers machine guns were mounted on the fuselage top decking.Bruce 1957, p.634.
The change in fuselage design delayed production of the fuselage, with further delays being caused by the engine which was overweight, and suffered from catastrophic reliability and vibration problems. The first Snapper flew at Brooklands in May 1919, soon followed by the other two aircraft. Although performance was good when the Dragonfly was working correctly, the engines problems were unsolvable, with the engine eventually being cancelled in September 1919. Although Sopwith attempted to enter one of the Snappers (with the civil registration K149) into the 1919 Aerial Derby where it was to be flown by Harry Hawker, this was forbidden by the Air MinistryFlight: 26 June 1919, p.847. (officially as its engine was still classified as Secret) and the three Snappers were used for test flying by the Royal Aircraft Establishment.Bruce 1969, pp.56-57.
Specifications
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=British Aeroplanes 1914-18Bruce 1957, p.635.
|prime units?=imp
|crew=1
|length ft=20
|length in=7
|length note=
|span ft=28
|span in=0
|span note=
|height ft=10
|height in=0
|height note=
|wing area sqft=292
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight lb=1462
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=2190
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=ABC Dragonfly
|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine
|eng1 hp=360
|eng1 note=
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch propeller
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed mph=140
|max speed note=at {{cvt|10000|ft}}
|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=
|ceiling ft=23000
|ceiling note=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|10000|ft}} in 7 minutes 50 seconds
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=7.5
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.16|hp/lb}}
|more performance=
|guns=2 × forward firing, synchronised .303 in Vickers machine guns
}}
See also
{{aircontent
|related=
|similar aircraft=
- Armstrong Whitworth Ara
- BAT Basilisk
- Nieuport Nighthawk
- Sopwith Dragon
- Sopwith Snark
- Westland Wagtail
|lists=
|see also=
}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
{{refbegin}}
- "[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1919/1919%20-%200837.html The Aerial Derby]". Flight, 26 June 1919, pp. 837–847.
- Bruce, J.M. British Aeroplanes 1914-18. London:Putnam, 1957.
- Bruce, J.M. War Planes of the First World War: Fighters Volume Three. London:Macdonald, 1969. {{ISBN|0-356-01490-8}}.
- Mason, Francis K. The British Fighter since 1912. Annapolis, USA:Naval Institute Press, 1992. {{ISBN|1-55750-082-7}}.
{{refend}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20111001065101/http://www.historicaircraft.org/WW1-Gallery/pages/Sopwith-Snapper.html Photo]
{{Sopwith Aviation Company aircraft}}
Category:1910s British fighter aircraft