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]
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 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]
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]
Data from Sopwith - The Man and His Aircraft[3]
General characteristics
Performance
Related lists