|
The Sopwith T.1 Cuckoo was a British biplane torpedo bomber used by the Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS), and its successor organization, the Royal Air Force (RAF). The T.1 was the first landplane specifically designed for carrier operations, but it was completed too late for service in the First World War. After the Armistice, the T.1 was named the Cuckoo.〔Davis 1999, p. 123.〕 ==Design and development== In October 1916, Commodore Murray Sueter, the Air Department's Superintendent of Aircraft Construction, solicited Sopwith for a single-seat aircraft capable of carrying a 1,000 lb torpedo and sufficient fuel to provide an endurance of four hours. The resulting aircraft, designated T.1 by Sopwith,〔Robertson 1970, p. 125.〕 was a large, three-bay biplane. Because the T.1 was designed to operate from carrier decks, its wings were hinged to fold backwards. The T.1 could take off from a carrier deck in four seconds, but it was not capable of making a carrier landing and no arresting gear was fitted.〔Davis 1999, p. 122.〕〔Robertson 1970, p. 127.〕 A split-axle undercarriage allowed the aircraft to carry a 1,000 lb Mk. IX torpedo beneath the fuselage. The prototype T.1 first flew in June 1917, powered by a 200 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Ba engine.〔Thetford 1978, p. 318.〕 Official trials commenced in July 1917 and the Admiralty issued production orders for 100 aircraft in August.〔Robertson 1970, p. 125.〕 Contractors Fairfield Engineering and Pegler & Company had no experience as aircraft manufacturers, however, resulting in substantial production delays.〔Layman 2002, p. 191.〕 Moreover, the S.E.5a had priority for the limited supplies of the Hispano-Suiza 8. Redesign of the T.1 airframe to accommodate the heavier Sunbeam Arab incurred further delays.〔Layman 2002, p. 191.〕 In February 1918, the Admiralty issued a production order to Blackburn Aircraft, an experienced aircraft manufacturer. Blackburn delivered its first T.1 in May 1918.〔Thetford 1978, p. 318.〕 The aircraft immediately experienced undercarriage and tailskid failures, requiring redesign of those components.〔Robertson 1970, p. 127.〕 The T.1 also required an enlarged rudder and offset vertical stabilizer to combat its tendency to swing to the right.〔Robertson 1970, p. 127.〕 Fairfield and Pegler finally began production in August and October, respectively.〔Davis 1999, p. 123.〕 A total of 300 T.1s were ordered, but only 90 aircraft had been delivered by the Armistice. A total of 232 aircraft had been completed by the time production ended in 1919. Blackburn Aircraft produced 162 aircraft, while Fairfield Engineering completed 50 and Pegler & Company completed another 20.〔Thetford 1978, p. 318.〕 After the Armistice, many T.1s were delivered directly to storage depots at Renfrew and Newcastle.〔Davis 1999, p. 123.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Sopwith Cuckoo」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|