A4 Sopwith Pup
The Sopwith Pup was a single seater biplane fighter manufactured by the British Sopwith Aviation Company and was officially named the Sopwith Scout . See "Sopwith Pup" It was used to great effect by the Royal Flying Corps, Australian Flying Corps (AFC) 5 Sqn, 6 Sqn and 8 Sqn and the Royal Naval Air Service . Sopwith Pups were operating with the Australian Air Corps in 1920, and in June of that year Pup C523 (later A4-3) appeared in the Melbourne Exhibition Air Show. When the RAAF was formed in 1921,11 Pups were accquired from AFC and flown until 1925.
All eleven Pups ( RAF serials C521-C528, C530-C532) were allotted to No 1 Flying Training School as intermediate fighter-trainers and given the new RAAF serial A4-1 to A4-11.
In December 1924, 'The Australasian' published photographs of the first RAAF Aerial Pageant. In pride of place was a remarkable picture of a Pup "balloon-chasing", a stunt at which the highly manoeuvrable aircraft had no equal.
The Sopwith Pup remained in service at Point Cook until 1925. After that time, there does not appear to be any record of the aircraft being operated by the RAAF.
General characteristics
Performance
Length: 19 ft 3.75 in (5.9 m)
Wingspan: 26 ft 6 in (8.1 m)
Height: 9 ft 5 in (2.9 m)
Wing Area: 254 ft2 (23.60 m2)
Empty: 856 lb (388 kg)
Loaded: 1,225 lb (556 kg)
Max Takeoff Weight: 1,225 lb (556 kg)
Powerplant: Air cooled Le Rhone rotary engine, 80 or 100 horsepower (60 or 75 kW)
Endurance: 3 hours
Service ceiling: 18,500 feet (5,600 m)
Service ceiling: 18,500 feet (5,600 m)