Sopwith Dragon
В начале 1918 года на прототипе Snipe установили мотор A.B.C. Dragonfly I мощностью 320 л. с. Самолет показал выдающиеся летные данные, в том числе максимальную скорость 241 км/ч. За испытаниями последовал заказ партии серийных машин, построено 76 Dragon. Ни один из них на фронт не попал, а их карьера из-за ненадежности мотора оказалась короткой.
На самолете Dragon, разработанном на основе Snipe, стоял ненадежный мотор Dragonfly IA мощностью 360 л. с. (268 кВт).
Probably unaware that they are seated in a rather unusual aeroplane, a happy couple play pilot and passenger in an anonymous Sopwith Dragon. Can any readers shed light on which Dragon it is, when the photograph was taken, where it was located or its ultimate fate?
ON THIS PAGE in TAH22 I featured a Sopwith Dragon serving as a photographer's seaside prop in the 1920s, in the hope that someone might be able to provide further information. Unfortunately it drew no responses, but a few months ago I acquired another shot of it which adds a mite to our knowledge. It is not the best of images, and has its blemishes, but it shows the other side of the fuselage, and an inscription is visible and partly legible. I believe it reads: "The Skegness Skylark", so now we know where it was, but further information is still sought.
The prototype Sopwith Buffalo fighter, H5892, powered by a Bentley B.R.2 engine. The Sopwith Dragon E7990 is seen behind.
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