SOPWITH SCOOTER "MONOPLANE NO.1"

The Sopwith Scooter (another name: Sopwith Monoplane nr. 1) was a British prototype and experimental aircraft from the end of World War I. The prototype flight took place in the summer of 1918, but the machine never entered mass production. The length of the aircraft was approximately 5.7 meters with a wingspan of approximately 8.7 meters. The drive was provided by a single Clerget 9B engine with 130 HP. The machine did not have a permanent on-board armament. The plane named Scooter was developed at the Sopwith Aviation Company as a far-reaching modification of the mass-produced Sopwith Camel fighter. The new machine borrowed many design and technical solutions from its progenitor - among other things, it had the same fuselage and the same propulsion unit as the F.1 Camel plane. At the same time, however, it was a monoplane, with wings arranged in an umbrella arrangement. Already during the first flights, when Harry Hawker was at the controls, the machine showed great maneuverability and good flight characteristics. These very promising experiences made the Sopwith Scooter the basis for the development of a prototype fighter called the Sopwith Swallow.