Sopwith Pup

The Pup’s design was one of classic simplicity using a fabric covered wooden structure to achieve light weight. It was considered to be underpowered but, despite this, had an excellent rate of climb at all levels up to 15,000 feet and proved highly manoeuvrable. In addition it achieved the reputation of having the most delightful flying qualities, and it certainly commanded respect from its enemies as a fighting machine.

William Beardmore were contracted to build 50 Pups under licence from Sopwith. They were to be armed with Le Prieur Rockets which were used against observation balloons with some success. The rockets were fired electrically from a range of about 200 yards, the knife edge in the nose cone pierced the balloon fabric and the escaping gas was ignited by the rocket. Some of these Pups had transparent areas fitted to the centre section of the upper mainplanes to improve visibility for the pilot.

About this aircraft

In an attempt to enter the civilian market following World War One, Sopwith built a two-seat derivative of the Pup, named the Sopwith Dove. From 1919, ten Doves were made, one of which was registered G-EBKY. In the mid-thirties Richard Shuttleworth found G-EBKY being flown from a field at Kempston, west of Bedford, by Geoff Chamberlain. The aircraft had no Certificate of Airworthiness and so the owner was not interested in a legal sale. A deal was done to swap the Dove for an Avro 504K that Richard had recently found in Portsmouth. By being economical with the truth Richard straightened things out with the registration authorities and his team set about restoring the Dove to Pup configuration. The rebuild was completed by February 1938 and it joined the Blériot and Deperdussin in performing at Royal Aeronautical Society garden parties and various other air displays.

In 2004/5 the aircraft was extensively refurbished in the colours of 9917, a Beardmore built aircraft which was fitted with Le Prieur Rockets when it served for a time on HMS Manxman, a seaplane carrier.

Specification