Sopwith Pup (Replica)

As part of the Museum’s Adopt-a-Plane program, the Sopwith Pup is adopted in memory of former Museum Director, Olin Lancaster.

The Sopwith Pup is the first aircraft to land aboard a moving ship and served first as a fighter and then an interceptor for the British Homeland Defense in 1916-17. Officially designated as the Sopwith Scout with admiral designation as the Sopwith Admiralty Type 9901, the aircraft became known as the “pup” because it looked like its predecessor, the Sopwith 1 Strutter, with 20% less wingspan. The Sopwith Pup had excellent maneuverability at both high and low altitudes. Powered by an 80 hp Le Rhone rotary engine, its armament consisted of a single Vickers .303 machine gun.  

On 2 August 1917, 25-year old Commander Edwin Dunning made history when he touched his Sopwith Pup down on the deck of a moving ship, the HMS Furious. This pioneering accomplishment set the stage for modern aircraft carriers.

The Sopwith Pup is the first aircraft obtained by the Museum and one of only eight replicas built from original Sopwith Company plans. Flyable when graciously donated by Jim and Alinda Wikert of Dallas, the Pup hung for many years in the Love Field Terminal, before its present home over the Museum’s Cree Main Gallery.