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Batch 21: aircraft page

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{{Aircraft infobox
| name = Sopwith 1½ Strutter
| image = RAF Sopwith 1 1-2 Strutter.jpg
| caption = Sopwith 1½ Strutter. Photo: unknown RAF photographer, Public domain, via [[commons:File:RAF Sopwith 1 1-2 Strutter.jpg|Wikimedia Commons]]
| make = Sopwith
| type = Biplane general purpose aircraft
| origin = United Kingdom
| first_flight = December 1915
| number_built = 4,500 France, 1,439 Great Britain
| faa_registered = 1 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
| seats = 2
| engine = Clerget 9B, 130 hp
| ceiling = 15,500 ft (1½ Strutter two-seater)
| gross_weight = 2,154 lb (1½ Strutter two-seater)
| category = Historic aircraft
}}

The '''Sopwith 1½ Strutter''' is a British World War I biplane, flown with one or two seats. It was the first British two-seat fighter with the engine in front, and the first British airplane to enter service with a machine gun synchronized to fire through the propeller.<ref name="wp"/> Its name comes from the long and short struts that held up the top wing.<ref name="wp"/> France built about 4,500 and Britain 1,439.<ref name="wp"/> In the U.S. there is 1 with a valid registration.<ref name="faa"/>

== History ==
In December 1914 Sopwith designed a small two-seat biplane, the "Sigrist Bus", named after works manager Fred Sigrist. It set a British altitude record on its first flight on June 5, 1915, and became the basis for the larger Strutter.<ref name="wp"/> The 1½ Strutter first flew in December 1915 and entered service in April 1916.<ref name="wp"/> Both British air services used it, and the French flew it widely, though without great success.<ref name="wp"/>

== Registered in the United States ==
The FAA register lists '''1''' of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.<ref name="faa"/>
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! FAA model name !! Registered
|-
| 1 1/2 STRUTTER || 1
|}
</div>

== Specifications (1½ Strutter two-seater) ==
<div class="aw-wide">
{| class="wikitable"
! Item !! 1½ Strutter two-seater
|-
| Crew || 2
|-
| Length || 25 ft 3 in
|-
| Wingspan || 33 ft 6 in
|-
| Height || 10 ft 3 in
|-
| Wing area || 346 sq ft
|-
| Empty weight || 1,305 lb
|-
| Maximum takeoff weight || 2,154 lb
|-
| Engine || Clerget 9B, 130 hp (9-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine)
|-
| Propeller || fixed-pitch propeller
|-
| Maximum speed || 100 mph
|-
| Service ceiling || 15,500 ft
|}
</div>
Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.<ref name="wp"/>

{{Owner notes}}

== Photos ==
<gallery mode="packed" heights="170">
File:Sopwith 1 2-1 Strutter-2006.jpg|Sopwith 1½ Strutter. Photo: TMWolf, CC BY 2.5
File:Sopwith 1 1.5 LeB 05.07R.jpg|Sopwith One-and-a-Half Strutter preserved at the Musee de l'Air et de l'Espace Paris Le Bourget. Photo: RuthAS, CC BY 3.0
File:Sopwith Strutter RAFM.jpg|Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter WW1 aircraft on display at the Royal Air Force Museum London. Photo: Nimbus227, Public domain
File:Sopwith 1 1.2 Strutter S.85 BRU Msm 14.04.00R edited-2.jpg|Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter of the Belgian Air Force preserved in the Brussels Military Museum. Photo: RuthAS, CC BY 3.0
File:Sopwith 1B2 Strutter Right Rear.jpg|French-built Sopwith 1B.2 Strutter at Air Service Production Center No. Photo: Air Service, United States Army, Public domain
File:An aeroplane leaving the deck of the Australia on a reconnaissance trip (13960807682).jpg|Sopwith 1½ Strutter. Photo: Colart's Studio, Melbourne, Public domain
File:Sopwith Strutter Lithuanian AF.jpg|Sopwith Strutter, the first aircraft of Lithuanian Air Force. Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author, CC BY-SA 4.0
</gallery>
All photos are from [[commons:Main Page|Wikimedia Commons]]; click a photo for its full credit and license.

== Buying a Sopwith 1½ Strutter ==
{{For sale soon}}

== Sources ==
<references>
<ref name="wp">Wikipedia, "[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_1½_Strutter Sopwith 1½ Strutter]", read November 1, 2026. Airplane Wiki's text is written in its own words; facts are checked against this article and its sources.</ref>
<ref name="faa">Federal Aviation Administration, [https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/aircraft_registry/releasable_aircraft_download Releasable Aircraft Database], file dated October 30, 2026. Valid registrations of fixed-wing airplanes whose FAA maker and model names belong to this family. Airplane Wiki uses only counts from this file, never owner names or addresses.</ref>
</references>

Sopwith 1½ Strutter - Revision history

Admin: Batch 21: aircraft page