Sopwith Snipe

what is it?

The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe is a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron service a few weeks before the end of the conflict, in late 1918. The Snipe was not a fast aircraft by the standards of its time, but its excellent climb performance and manoeuvrability made it a good match for contemporary German fighters.

base stats

• speed 195 km/htop speed
• size 916 kgmax take-off weight
• built 1,563made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 109 years ago, in 1917.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1917-10

introduced

1918

number built

1,563

role

fighter

makers

Sopwith Aviation Company

engines

1× Bentley BR2 / BR2

crew

1

length

6.1 m

height

2.9 m

max take-off weight

916 kg

top speed

195 km/h

range

—

ceiling

5,944 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.