Sunday 4 December 2011

Nick Caudwell Sopwith Snipe Vintage Aviator Ltd Sopwith Snipe debut 12 November 2011





A great view of the cockpit of Nick Caudwell's Sopwith Snipe, still undergoing test flying at Tyabb, April 2015 via The Australian Vintage Aviation Society FB page. Click to view large




Newly built by The Vintage Aviator Ltd this Sopwith Snipe is the only example flying in the world with an original 230hp rotary engine. The Snipe was the last rotary engine powered fighter operated by the Royal Air Force (it was retired in 1926), and it began operational service just a few weeks before the end of World War One in November 1918. This debut public display was held at Hood Aerodrome in Masterton, New Zealand on 12 November 2011. The aircraft will eventually be displayed at Kermit Weeks' Flight of Fantasy facility in Florida, USA.