:Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

The Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter debut around the same time that the Nieuport 17 did, 04.1916, most likely following the capture of a German Eindecker that had strayed into a thick fog over France. It is the first British fighter airplane equipped with a fixed, forward firing, synchronized machine gun, and came as one and two-seaters. It's heart was a Clerget 9Z 110 hp, and could fly from 80 mph to 103 mph. In the two seaters, the gas tank was positioned precariously between the pilot and the observer, this characteristic earning jeers from airmen that it was designed by a German. With a total of 13 kills, Geoffrey Cock was the highest scoring Ace to ever fly this aircraft.