Sopwith Triplane

what is it?

The Sopwith Triplane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. It has the distinction of being the first military triplane to see operational service. The Triplane was developed by the firm's experimental department as a private venture; the project was headed by designer Herbert Smith.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · triplane · 8.1 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 188 km/htop speed
• range 450 kmwithout refuelling
• size 699 kgmax take-off weight
• built 152made 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 110 years ago, in 1916.

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

spec sheet

first flight

1916-05-28

introduced

1916

number built

152

role

fighter

origin

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

makers

Sopwith Aviation Company

engines

1× Clerget 9B

crew

1

length

5.7 m

wingspan

8.1 m

height

3.2 m

max take-off weight

699 kg

top speed

188 km/h

range

450 km

ceiling

6,248 m

wings

triplane

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