Sopwith Dolphin

The Story of Sopwith Dolphin

The

Sopwith Dolphin was another fighter design of Thomas Sopwith's production aircraft during the First World War. Built with fighter pilots in mind, the system offers unobstructed views from the cockpit. This was achieved by lowering the upper wing section of the traditional biplane layout, allowing the pilot's head to stick out of the plane. The wing is now basically an extension of the upper part of the fuselage rather than a separate part.

Also, care was taken to provide pilots with free weapons capable of engaging any enemy aircraft at the time. This will come in the form of two 7.7mm machine guns firing forward, another 7.7mm machine gun or two angled forward and upward.

The system has been in service for some time since its inception in 1917 - albeit with reservations.

Dolphin provides a viable platform for fighter pilots to complete impressive kill lists. For some, however, the system is a bit of a menace to itself, as it has significant stall characteristics due to the rear wing design.

With the pilot's head protruding from the design, the plane is also prone to fatal "nose-over" accidents, where the plane could tip over and over its own nose, landing directly on the pilot's head and neck. Because of this, a bracing was later added to the upper wing section to solve this problem.

Ultimately, the Dolphin served its purpose to a limited extent, but remained another accepted Allied fighter design to fight the Fokker Scourge.

Total production reached 2,072 servings.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes