1915 Sopwith Baby Seaplane:  A Full Scale Reproduction
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Original Specifications

When my brother and I built the first man-carrying flying machine we thought that we were introducing into the world an invention which would make further wars practically impossible. 

                                                                                                — Orville Wright, 1917



 

General characteristics

  • Crew: one, pilot (two in training version with bench seat)
  • Length: 23 ft (7.01 m)
  • Wingspan: 25 ft 8 in (7.82 m)
  • Height: 10 ft (3.05 m)
  • Wing area: 240 ft² (22.30 m²)
  • Empty weight: 1,297 lb (590 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 1,742 lb (792 kg)
  • Powerplant:Clerget rotary engine, driving a two blade wooden propeller, 130 hp 

Performance

Armament

 

Determining Power Plant Substitution

"If you build it, the engine will come"

 

In its final production evolution, the Sopwith Baby utilized a 130 HP Clerget Rotary engine. This engine produced the performance specifications as listed above. Availability, cost, and reliability issues rule out an original engine in favor of an appropriate substitute.

Therefore, it stands to reason that in order to reproduce an airworthy replica while maintaining appropriate authenticity, the goal is to replicate the above specifications for the 130 HP Clerget powered Baby as closely as practical while ensuring that design flight and thrust loads are neither exceeded, nor grossly underestimated.

  

                               

                          Analysis of the Original Power Plant


Specifications
(
Clerget Type 9B)

General characteristics

  • Type: 9 cylinder air cooled rotary
  • Bore: 120mm (4.7 in)
  • Stroke: 160mm (6.3 in)
  • Displacement: 16.3 Liters (992 cu in)
  • Dry weight: 173kg (381 lb)

Components

Performance

  • Power output: 130 (96 kw) hp @ 1,250 RPM

 

To determine torque output of original engine, therefore…..

 
                                                     Horsepower * 5252
Torque  =       ----------------- 
= 546.2 Foot lbs
RPM
 
To evaluate horsepower at T.O. rpm of considered replacement engine....
 
                                                                   Desired Torque (546.2) * RPM
Horsepower      =      -------------------------------
5252


The above factors will determine the basic evaluation criteria of considered engines.
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