Soptwith 1 1/2 Strutter

[Kathie]

I have received such great information on the RE 8 that I thought I would ask for more help in descriptions of teh Strutter. I thought I had sufficient, thanks to Dolphin Gareth, but now have got greedy for me.

Any information - I need about four paragraphs.

Many thnks

Kathie

[Dolphin]

Kathie

The Sopwith 1½ Strutter (so called due to the W-shaped metal bracing between the fuselage and the upper wing - in appearance, these looked like half-struts between the upper longerons and the wing) was produced in two main versions: a two-seater fighter and a single-seat bomber. The Strutter was remarkable for a number of 'firsts': it was the first British production aircraft to have an interrupter gear to allow the pilot's machine gun to fire through the propeller; it was the first aircraft to use trailing edge flaps/air brakes; it was the first aeroplane to be fitted with the Scarff ring mounting for the observer's machine gun; it was the first British aircraft to be built in larger numbers in a foreign country than in the UK; and it equipped the first strategic bombing force (No 3 Wing RNAS).

Strutters were first used by the RNAS, who used them on the Western Front and in the Mediterranean. Two seater Strutters were used as escorts for daylight bombers, and then single seaters were used as long-range bombers. The RFC first used the Strutter in April 1916, when several were transferred from the RNAS while aircraft ordered by the RFC were being built. Two seater Strutters helped the RFC attain aerial supremacy during the Battle of the Somme, and were flown operationally by Nos 43, 54 and 70 Sqns. In a period of 35 squadron-months on the Western Front, the Strutter squadrons were credited with destroying 41 enemy aircraft.

The Strutter had become obsolescent by early 1917, but they stayed in use until the summer of that year, suffering badly during the month known as 'Bloody April'. By October 1917, the three Strutter squadrons were re-equipped with Camel single seat fighters. The RFC also used the Strutter as a trainer and as a Home Defence fighter - some were converted to single seat night fighters.

1439 Strutters were built in the UK, and a further 4000-4500 in France. As well as the British and French, the type was used by the air arms of Belgium, Japan, Latvia, The Netherlands, Romania, Russia, and the USA.

I hope this helps you.

Gareth

[Adrian Roberts]

Gareth

I didn't know about the trailing-edge flaps - do you have any pictures of these?

I believe it was the first type to land and then take off again from an aircraft carrier (HMS Argus) i.e. other aircraft had landed on various half-deck experimentals but not taken off, or vice versa, but not done both. It was also the first to do this carrying a passenger

Adrian

[Dolphin]

Adrian

I couldn't find a photograph showing the brakes 'in action' but the air brake might be just visible in the photograph below. The brakes were hand-wheel-actuated trailing edge panels in the bottom centre section, pivoted to rotate upwards through 90 degrees.

The machine in the photograph is of A993 of No 43 Sqn, captured on 28 April 1917, with 2Lt C M Reece and AMII A Moult both made PoW. It was the 12th of 15 victories credited to Vzfw Edmund Nathanael of Jasta 5.

You're correct about the Strutter landing and taking off from HMS Argus; it was Ship's Strutter F2211, flown by Lt Col R Bell Davies VC on 1 October 1918. It was fitted with clips on the undecarriage spreader bar to engage wires on the ship's decking.

Regards

Gareth

[MikeW]

I have a photo of the "flap", I'll post it tonight when I get home. It's more of an air brake than a flap.

Mike

[MikeW]

Here it is:-

[Bob H]

Here are two patents taken out by Sopwith that relate to the 1 ½ Strutter.

The first is the airbrake:

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=GB110419&F=0

The second is the adjustable tail plane:

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=GB126031&F=0

Bob

[Adrian Roberts]

The second is the adjustable tail plane:

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdoc?DB=EPODOC&IDX=GB126031&F=0

So, another first, and this is one that became very common until the advent of the trim tab in the 1930's to do the same job more efficiently.

It must have seemed a highly advanced aeroplane at the time. Richard Bell-Davies described it as his favourite aircraft, using it for Naval trials and operations until the end of the war long after it ceased production. Mind you, the only time he tried to take off in a Camel (from HMS Furious) he went straight into the sea....

Kathy - you can see the W "1 1/2 struts" in the photos that Gareth and Mike have put up

Adrian

[MikeW]

The adjustable tail was used on the Strutter, some Pups and all Triplanes. A very effective invention!

Bob H - the patent search site is fantastic, I just found details of the Sopwith windscreen, the split axle, the Sopwith-Kauper synchronisation gear, the cowl attachment cable etc etc. To see the names as well, Harry Hawker, Fred Sigrist, and so on - brilliant!

Mike

[Bob H]

Mike

Yes I found those as well, but I could not be sure they were first used on the Strutter.

Here is a link to a patent for a Scarff ring:

http://v3.espacenet.com/textdraw?DB=EPODOC...0&QPN=US1364525

The patent site is fascinating. Since someone directed me to it a couple of months back.

I have spent far too much time wading through it.

Bob

[Kathie]

Thank you all. My great difficulty is that I find all these little details fascinating adn so get caught up in long detours with each of my twenty soliders. I suppose that is a common problems for everyone on the forum.

Kathie

[Kathie]

Thank you all. My great difficulty is that I find all these little details fascinating adn so get caught up in long detours with each of my twenty soliders. I suppose that is a common problems for everyone on the forum.

Kathie

[FAAAEd]

The adjustable tail was used on the Strutter, some Pups and all Triplanes. A very effective invention!

Bob H - the patent search site is fantastic, I just found details of the Sopwith windscreen, the split axle, the Sopwith-Kauper synchronisation gear, the cowl attachment cable etc etc. To see the names as well, Harry Hawker, Fred Sigrist, and so on - brilliant!

Mike

The variable incidence tailplane was also a feature of the first TSRII, aka Fairey Swordfish, and provided the key to controllability whilst transiting the transonic flight region.

Sopwith was an extremely innovative aircraft developer, a trait that continued into its Hawker days.

[Borden Battery]

The Great War Flying Museum – Brampton, Canada

Formed in 1970 this all-volunteer group is dedicated to recreating the sights, sounds and feel of World War One combat aircraft. They build, maintain and fly seven World War One replica fighter aircraft. These include the following: S.E.5a, Fokker DR1, Fokker D.VII, Nieuport 28, and the Sopwith 1½ Strutter.

E-mail: info@GreatWarFlyingMuseum.com [CEF Study Group – Jan 2007]

http://www.greatwarflyingmuseum.com/

 

[Moonraker]

Just watching an item on BBC1 evening news about a West Lothian group building a replica of the Strutter. No doubt available on the catch-up thingy, but Googling "Sopwith aeroplane rebuilt Scotland" will lead to other recent coverage, including YouTube clips.

[Interested]

Yes, but didn't the News keep referring it to a "half-strutter"?

[Coldstreamer]

And they all looked so grumpy on TV

guess they need a new project now 

[quemerford]

Yet another piece of atrocious journalism, with the term "Sopwith Strutter" being bandied around as if it was something that existed. I'm surprised they didn't call it "aerodynamic" or some other term used by the clueless 'experts'.

 

Can't wait til it flies - cue another story about a "Sopwith Strutter", but this time being "loop-de-looped" by "Top Guns" or "fly boys" who had previously flown English Electric Lights or McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phans.  It will always be a one-and-a-half-strutter, no matter what the revisionists want to say in order to excuse laziness.

 

It's enough to make you scr.

 

 

[nils d]

2 hours ago, quemerford said:

Yet another piece of atrocious journalism, with the term "Sopwith Strutter" being bandied around as if it was something that existed. I'm surprised they didn't call it "aerodynamic" or some other term used by the clueless 'experts'.

 

Can't wait til it flies - cue another story about a "Sopwith Strutter", but this time being "loop-de-looped" by "Top Guns" or "fly boys" who had previously flown English Electric Lights or McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phans.  It will always be a one-and-a-half-strutter, no matter what the revisionists want to say in order to excuse laziness.

 

It's enough to make you scr.

 

Could be worse, it might be a Sopwith Cam or a Sopwith Dol.

Years ago when word processors were the latest thing l read a book catalogue from a leading book dealer that had an entry for a  "Profile" on the "Sopwith 1.5 ".

Is that bad enough for you?

 

[quemerford]

17 minutes ago, nils d said:

 

I'd be happier with "Sopwith 1.5-Strutter". "Sopwith 150% Strutter" even. At least it shows an effort to get it right. Ah well. 

[Raster Scanning]

On 10/02/2006 at 23:15, MikeW said:

Here it is:-

As stated this is not a flap it is a speed brake. Flaps are designed to create additional lift to allow the aircraft to fly more slowly without stalling during take off and landing. Airbrakes are designed to increase drag to slow an aircraft down either as a speed brake after landing or as a spoiler in conjunction with the up going aileron in flight.