The Sopwith Antelope was a British three-seat transport aircraft built after the end of the First World War. A single-engined biplane based on the Sopwith Wallaby long-range aircraft, only a single Antelope was built.
In 1919, the Sopwith Aviation Company developed a three-seat transport aircraft, the Sopwith Antelope, based on its Wallaby long-range aircraft built to compete for a £10,000 prize for an England-Australia flight, which was in turn based on the Sopwith Atlantic, which had crashed during an attempt to be the first aircraft cross the Atlantic Ocean non-stop earlier that year.[1][2][3]
Like the Wallaby, the Antelope was a single-engined tractorbiplane, but with a modified fuselage to accommodate the pilot and two passengers. The pilot sat in an open cockpit under the tailing edge of the wing, in front of an enclosed cabin where the two passengers sat on wicker seats facing each other, with a door on the left side of the cabin to give direct access and windows to provide the passengers with a view. The cabin was fitted with a hatch on its roof, which when slid forward allowed the rearmost passenger seat to be raised so the passenger could be seated with his or her head outside the cabin.[4][5][6] It was powered by a single 180 hp (134 kW) Wolseley Viper water-cooled V8 engine and had two-bay wings.[1][7]
Operational historyedit
The Antelope was displayed at the 1920 Olympia Aero show,[4] and received its Certificate of Airworthiness on 10 August 1920 [1] before being entered into the Air Ministry Small Commercial Aircraft Competition later that month, where it received the second prize of £3,000.[1]
While Sopwith went into Voluntary liquidation, the Antelope was sold to the Larkin Sopwith Aviation Company of Australia in 1923, being fitted with a Siddeley Puma engine,[1] where it was used to fly air mail, remaining in existence until 1935.[2]
"The Olympia Aero Show at a Glance". Flight, 8 July 1920, pp. 712–727.
"The Olympia 1920 Aero Show". Flight, 22 July 1920, pp. 793–806.
"The Air Ministry Competition at Martelsham: Some Notes on the Machines Entered". Flight, 5 August 1920, pp. 855–861.
Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972:Volume III. London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN0-85177-818-6.
Richardson, Bruce. Sopwith – The Man and His Aircraft. Letchworth, UK:Air Review, 1970. ISBN0-900435-15-1.
April 12, 2024
sopwith, antelope, british, three, seat, transport, aircraft, built, after, first, world, single, engined, biplane, based, sopwith, wallaby, long, range, aircraft, only, single, antelope, built, anteloperole, light, transport, aircraftnational, origin, united,. The Sopwith Antelope was a British three seat transport aircraft built after the end of the First World War A single engined biplane based on the Sopwith Wallaby long range aircraft only a single Antelope was built AntelopeRole Light transport aircraftNational origin United KingdomManufacturer Sopwith Aviation CompanyFirst flight 1920Retired 1935Number built 1Developed from Sopwith Wallaby Contents 1 Development and design 2 Operational history 3 Specifications 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Notes 5 2 BibliographyDevelopment and design editIn 1919 the Sopwith Aviation Company developed a three seat transport aircraft the Sopwith Antelope based on its Wallaby long range aircraft built to compete for a 10 000 prize for an England Australia flight which was in turn based on the Sopwith Atlantic which had crashed during an attempt to be the first aircraft cross the Atlantic Ocean non stop earlier that year 1 2 3 Like the Wallaby the Antelope was a single engined tractor biplane but with a modified fuselage to accommodate the pilot and two passengers The pilot sat in an open cockpit under the tailing edge of the wing in front of an enclosed cabin where the two passengers sat on wicker seats facing each other with a door on the left side of the cabin to give direct access and windows to provide the passengers with a view The cabin was fitted with a hatch on its roof which when slid forward allowed the rearmost passenger seat to be raised so the passenger could be seated with his or her head outside the cabin 4 5 6 It was powered by a single 180 hp 134 kW Wolseley Viper water cooled V8 engine and had two bay wings 1 7 Operational history editThe Antelope was displayed at the 1920 Olympia Aero show 4 and received its Certificate of Airworthiness on 10 August 1920 1 before being entered into the Air Ministry Small Commercial Aircraft Competition later that month where it received the second prize of 3 000 1 While Sopwith went into Voluntary liquidation the Antelope was sold to the Larkin Sopwith Aviation Company of Australia in 1923 being fitted with a Siddeley Puma engine 1 where it was used to fly air mail remaining in existence until 1935 2 Specifications editData from Sopwith The Man and His Aircraft 8 General characteristicsCrew 1 Capacity 2 passengers Length 31 ft 0 in 9 45 m Wingspan 46 ft 6 in 14 17 m Height 11 ft 3 in 3 43 m Wing area 550 sq ft 51 m2 9 Empty weight 2 387 lb 1 083 kg Gross weight 3 450 lb 1 565 kg Powerplant 1 Wolseley Viper water cooled V8 engine 180 hp 130 kW Propellers 2 bladed propellerPerformance Maximum speed 110 mph 180 km h 96 kn Cruise speed 84 mph 135 km h 73 kn Range 450 mi 720 km 390 nmi approximately 9 Time to altitude 7 5 min to 5 000 ft 1 500 m See also editRelated development Sopwith Atlantic Sopwith WallabyAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Avro 547 Beardmore W B X Westland LimousineReferences editNotes edit a b c d e Jackson 1988 p 311 a b Robertson 1970 p 231 Robertson 1970 p 142 a b Flight 22 July 1920 pp 799 800 Flight 5 August 1920 p 857 Flight 8 July 1920 p 725 Robertson 1970 p 193 Robertson 1970 pp 236 237 240 241 a b Flight 5 August 1920 p 858 Bibliography edit The Olympia Aero Show at a Glance Flight 8 July 1920 pp 712 727 The Olympia 1920 Aero Show Flight 22 July 1920 pp 793 806 The Air Ministry Competition at Martelsham Some Notes on the Machines Entered Flight 5 August 1920 pp 855 861 Jackson A J British Civil Aircraft 1919 1972 Volume III London Putnam 1988 ISBN 0 85177 818 6 Richardson Bruce Sopwith The Man and His Aircraft Letchworth UK Air Review 1970 ISBN 0 900435 15 1 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sopwith Antelope amp oldid 1066007321, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
