Sopwith Dolphin – Photos & Videos

Den Sopwith 5F.1 Delfin var et britisk kampfly fremstillet af Sopwith Aviation Company. Det blev brugt af Royal Flying Corps og dets efterfølger, Royal Air Force, under Første Verdenskrig. Dolphinen blev taget i brug på Vestfronten i begyndelsen af 1918 og viste sig at være en formidabel jager. Flyet blev ikke opbevaret i efterkrigstidens opgørelse og blev pensioneret kort efter krigen.

Kilde: Sopwith Delfin på Wikipedia

The Sopwith Dolphin was a British fighter aircraft designed by Herbert Smith of the Sopwith Aviation Company in 1917. It was intended to be a high-altitude fighter with a superior field of vision for the pilot, who sat with his head through a rectangular gap between the upper wings. The lower wings were staggered forward of the upper wings, giving the aircraft a distinctive appearance.
The Dolphin was powered by a 200 hp Hispano-Suiza V8 engine and armed with two fixed Vickers machine guns and two movable Lewis guns. The Dolphin entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and later the Royal Air Force in early 1918 and saw action on the Western Front. It was a fast, agile and powerful fighter that could operate at altitudes above 20,000 feet. The Dolphin was well-liked by its pilots, but it suffered from engine problems and was not retained in the postwar inventory. About 2,072 Dolphins were built by Sopwith and its sub-contractors before the end of the war.