Sopwith Baby

Infobox Aircraft
name=Baby


caption=
type=Single-seat scout and bomber biplane seaplane
manufacturer=Sopwith Aviation Company
designer=
first flight=September avyear|1915Holmes, 2005. p 44.]
introduced=
retired=
status=
primary user=Royal Naval Air Service
more users=
produced=
developed from=Sopwith Schneider
number built=286 (Baby)
180 (Hamble Baby)
variants with their own articles=

The Sopwith Baby was a British single-seat seaplane used by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) from 1915.

Development and design

The Baby was a development of the two-seat Sopwith Schneider. Although the Schneider had won the Schneider trophy in 1914, the RNAS did not place a formal order until January 1915. The production version of the Baby differed little from the Schneider Trophy winner. [Lamberton, 1960. p 58.]

The Baby was also built by Blackburn Aircraft, Fairey, and Parnall in the United Kingdom. In Italy licensed manufacture was undertaken by SA Aeronautica Gio Ansaldo of Turin.

Altogether, about 700 Babys were built.

Manufacturing history

*Schneider: 136 - Sopwith

*Baby:
**100 - Sopwith Aviation Company
**186 - Blackburn Aircraft

*Hamble Baby:
**130 - Parnall
**50 - Fairey Aviation

Operational history

The Baby was used as a shipborne scout and bomber aircraft operating from larger ships such as seaplane carriers and cruisers, and smaller vessels such as naval trawlers and minelayers. It was even considered for operation from submarines. The main role of the Baby was to intercept German Zeppelin raids as far from Britain as possible.

Babys saw service with Canada, the US, France, Chile, Greece and Norway. In Norway Babys were built occasionally as replacements, with a few seeing service until 1930. A small number of Norwegian Babys were used by Roald Amundsen in his polar expedition.

Operators

;AUS
*One Sopwith Baby seaplane was used by the Royal Australian Navy in 1917. It was operated from the cruiser HMAS Brisbane.;flag|Canada|1868
*Canadian Air Force;CHI
*Chilean Air Force;FRA
*French Air Force;flag|Greece|old
*Hellenic Air Force;flag|Italy|1861-state;NOR
*Norwegian Air Force;UK
*Royal Naval Air Service
*Royal Air Force
**No. 219 Squadron RAF
**No. 229 Squadron RAF
**No. 246 Sqaudron RAF
**No. 248 Squadron RAF
**No. 249 Squadron RAF
**No. 263 Squadron RAF
**No. 269 Squadron RAF
**No. 270 Squadron RAF

pecifications

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref=Holmes, 2005. p 44.
crew= one
capacity=
length main= 23 ft 0 in
length alt= 7.01 m
span main= 25 ft 8 in
span alt= 7.82 m
height main= 10 ft 0 in
height alt= 3.05 m
area main= 240 ft²
area alt= 22.30 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 1,226 lb
empty weight alt= 557 kg
loaded weight main= 1,715 lb
loaded weight alt= 779 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (prop)=Clerget
type of prop=rotary engine, driving a two blade wooden propeller
number of props=1
power main= 110 hp
power alt= 82 kW
power original=
max speed main= 87 knots
max speed alt= 100 mph, 162 km/h
max speed more= at sea level
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main= 10,000 ft
ceiling alt= 3,050 m
climb rate main= 285 ft/min
climb rate alt= 1.45 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
* Endurance: 2.25 hrs
armament=
* 1 × Lewis gun
* 2 × 65 lb (28 kg) bombs
avionics=

References

Bibliography

*
*

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Sopwith Tabloid
* Fairey Hamble Baby
similar aircraft=

sequence=

lists=
* List of seaplanes and flying boats
* List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service

see also=