Sopwith Sociable

Sociable
Role	Two-seat tractor biplane
National origin	United Kingdom
Manufacturer	Sopwith Aviation Company
First flight	17 February 1914
Introduction	1914
Retired	1914
Primary user	Royal Naval Air Service
Number built	1

The Sopwith Sociable (or sometimes Churchill or Tweenie^[1]) was a British single-engined two-seat tractor configuration biplane designed and built by Sopwith for the Royal Naval Air Service.^[2]

Design and development

The Sociable, so called because the crew were seated side-by side rather than in tandem, was ordered by the British Admiralty for use as a training aircraft by the Royal Naval Air Service. It was two-bay biplane powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape radial.^[2] The Sociable was given serial number 149 by the Admiralty and first flew from Brooklands on 17 February 1914.^[2]

Operational history

Two days after its first flight, the Sociable was delivered to Hendon on 19 February 1914.^[2] The next day the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill flew in it as a passenger;^[2] it afterwards gained the nickname the "Sopwith Churchill". It was based at Eastchurch when on 25 March 1914 it spun into the ground on take-off.^[2]

Repaired by Sopwith it was delivered to No. 3 Squadron RNAS in Belgium in September 1914.^[2] It was fitted with an additional fuel tank and a bomb rack and was used on an abortive attempt to bomb a German airship shed at Cologne on 22 September 1914.^[2] It was transferred to No. 1 Squadron RNAS but broke an axle on take-off from Antwerp, damaging the landing gear and badly damaging the upper wing.^[2] While awaiting repair at Antwerp it was abandoned following the advance of German troops.^[2]

Operators

 United Kingdom

• Royal Naval Air Service

Specifications

Data from Sopwith - The Man and His Aircraft^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 24 ft 3 in (7.39 m)
• Wingspan: 36 ft 0 in (10.97 m)
• Height: 9 ft 0 in (2.74 m)
• Empty weight: 960 lb (435 kg)
• Gross weight: 1,640 lb (744 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 25 imp gal (110 L)
• Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine, 100 hp (75 kW)
• Propellers: 2-bladed, 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter

Performance

• Maximum speed: 90 mph (140 km/h, 78 kn)
• Endurance: 3 hr

See also

Related lists

• List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service

References

Notes

1. Robertson 1970, p. 211.
2. Sturtivant and Page 1992, p. 39
3. Robertson 1970, pp. 234–235, 238–239.

Bibliography

• Robertson, Bruce. Sopwith - The Man and His Aircraft. Letchworth, UK: Air Review, 1970. ISBN 0-900435-15-1.
• Ray Sturtivant and Gordon Page Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911–1919 Air-Britain, 1992. ISBN 0-85130-191-6