Authentic Reproductions for the Original Experience

Building A Sopwith 1½ Strutter

Building a Sopwith 1½ Strutter

After years of research, the Sopwith project started. First, sourcing period correct materials was harder than you think. Secondly, engineering the assembly jigs and processes. Third, preparing the longerons, vertical struts, spreaders and metal fittings for assembly. Finally, the assembly begins.

In our kits, all the wood pieces are cut and tapered, the metal fittings dipped in rust preventative paint, and complex metal pieces formed and welded together according to the original Sopwith factory drawings. In that capacity, the vintage enthusiast will only have to varnish and assemble. Just think of it as a life-size erector set. Yes, now the vintage enthusiast can build their own Sopwith 1½ Strutter, Sopwith Pup, Sopwith Triplane or Sopwith Camel to have an original, WWI flying experience.

Our kits come with an instruction manual, a photocopied set of original drawings, and unlimited toll-free support from our customer service department to help you build your Sopwith aeroplane.

Follow building the Sopwith 1½ Strutter below.

: Markings on this Sopwith Strutter represent an early batch delivered in April 1916 to Coudekerque, France.

: Side view of the Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter reproduction.

: Stern view of Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

: Safety tying turnbuckles on Sopwith Strutter’s strut!

: While 5,500 Sopwith Strutters produced, FAA requires ‘experimental’ written on aircraft.

: Measuring for flying wires on Sopwith Strutter

: Wings installed on Sopwith Strutter

: Installing starboard upper wing on Sopwith Strutter

: Installing port side wing on Sopwith Strutter

: Installing lower starboard wing on Sopwith Strutter

: Covered wings ready to install on Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter

: Strutter moved outside for wing assembly. Need flying wire measurements.

: Wrapped ‘stick’. Boy scout skills always come in handy!

: Brass data plate for Sopwith Strutter

: Instrumentation panel with name plates

: Since there is no armament installed on plane, windscreen is secured to protect pilot’s face.

: Pilot and Gunner wind screens.

: Finished roundel.

: Painting roundels on upper wing.

: Looking towards stern behind the gunners seat.

: Finished Kiwi on port side.

: Kendra makes this look easy!

: Port side of painting mascot.

: Inspection panel stictched on port side of fuselage.

: Inner circle red of the tricolor roundel.

: Middle white

: Painting the outer roundel blue

: Finished Kiwi mascot.

: Kendra the Kiwi artist!

: Begin hand painting the Kiwi.

: Tracing the outline of the Kiwi bird.

: Projecting Kiwi image onto starboard side of fuselage. Image from 100 year old postcard.

: Kip marking the roundel with pencil.

: Yellow tape is center of roundel.

: Lacing linen panel on fuselage for easy access inside.

: Covering fuselage with linen.

: Wing with aileron section.

: Aileron ready to cover.

: Fabricating an aileron.

: Engine covered by cowl.

: Measuring for rivets

: Fitment of cowl to panels

: Riveting outter lip.

: Positioning panels

: Checking inside fit

: Riviting cowl lip to side

: Laying out sheet metal for cowl sides.

: Spun cowl arrives.

: Dopping begins – first of many coats.

: Wing ribs and riblets stitched down.

: Details of rib stitching.

: Begin rib stitching to hold linen onto wing.

: DI water sprayed on both sides to shrink fabric to form.

: Wing slips into ‘pocket’ of linen.

: Wing section ready for the natural unbleached linen.

: Painted tricolor vertical stabiliser.

: Finished painted rudder – just like the original.

: Hand paint letters

: Project photo of original lettering onto rudder.

: Frayed edge linen tape applied to edges of horizontal stabilizer

: Running stitch for hem

: Horizontal stabilizer bottom hem hand stitched

: Ribs stitched – next step frayed tape and dope

: Coatings of dope

: Linen shrunk to form

: Hand stitch bottom hem

: Stitching linen

: Covering vertical stabilizer with linen sleeve

: Vertical stabilizer linen

: Fuel tank hand pump

: Mixture control

: Oil tank strapped in

: Engine bearer with tanks

: Cockpit looking like a cockpit

: Solder wire wrapped joint

: Safety wire turnbuckles

: Painting undercarriage struts

: Roll of frayed linen for tape

: Masters of Linen

: Rolls of linen (original 1916 specifications)pecif

: Belgium Linen arrives

: Castel nuts safety wired on air brake wheel

: Instrument panel

: Instrument panel

: Close up of oil tank connection

: Installed oil tank (castor oil)

: Oil tank – 2 pieces – comes welded, ready-to-install

: Formers sanded

: Light sanding of formers

: Formers for covering to attach

: Air brake on lower portion of center section

: Covered wing center

: Wing center section

: Wing center section built integral to fuselage

: Formed undershield installed

: Undershield

: Flight Commander, Kip Lankenau, on Sopwith Strutter at EAA AirVenture 2018.

: Sopwith Strutter with Gnome rotary engine at EAA AirVenture 2018, Booth 310.

: Sopwith Strutter inside the Bessonneau Hangar at EAA AirVenture 2018, Booth 310.

: Vic securing Strutter for long haul to Oshkosh, WI.

: Loading Sopwith Strutter in trailer for 1,000 mile ride to Oshkosh, WI for EAA AirVenture 2018.

: Flight Commander, Kip Lankenau, with assembled Sopwith Strutter and Gnome rotary engine.

: Ack Emma’s assembling the Sopwith Strutter.

: KipAero Company Background

: Upper wings connected to central wing strut on Sopwith Strutter.

: Lower wings fitted to wing center section on Sopwith Strutter.

: Fuselage outside for wing installation. Wing span is 33 feet plus!

: Making cable ends for wing – solder at ends.

: Dave, fitting rib on wing spar

: Constructing upper wings for Sopwith Strutter

: Finished Dover Wheels – used for controls.

: Varnish finished wheel.

: Cutting out pattern for Dover Wheel.

: Trace wheel outline on birch

: Making a Dover Wheel – cut from steel.

: Mounted wheel for Sopwith Strutter landing!

: Greasing axle for wheel install

: Varnished axle spreader ready for mounting.

: Axle spreader cut and sanded.

: Completed tyre mounting ready to install on axle.

: Mounting tyres on rim for Sopwith Strutter

: Axle bearing installed for wheel assembly.

: Ribs completed for empennage or horizontal stabilizer.

: Empennage spar for Sopwith Strutter

: Empennage construction for Sopwith Strutter

: Welded empennage frame for Sopwith Strutter.

: Varnished struts for Sopwith Strutter.

: Sanding struts for the Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter.

: Cut struts for Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter.

: Spruce struts measured twice before cutting! Sopwith Strutter

: Wing center section lower

: Elevator control bar for Sopwith 1&frac12 Strutter

: Spoked wheel preparation for paint

: Spoked rim and hub

: Wheel hub machined according to original specifications.

: Aluminum plate covers trailing edge tube and connects to both upper and lower sides of rib.

: Completed upper main plane for Sopwith Strutter

: Riblets added to upper main plane.

: Assembled upper main plane for Sopwith Strutter

: Riblet jig for Sopwith Strutter wing construction

: Close up of plane nosing for Sopwith Strutter

: Plane nosing added to upper wing assembly.

: Upper wing plane assembly for Sopwith Strutter

: Wing spars attached to center section ready for rib assembly.

: Finished wing spars ready for assembly.

: Varnish applied to wing spars

: Routed out spruce spar for Sopwith Strutter

: Routing wing spar for Sopwith Strutter

: Router jig for lightening process

: Pattern drawn on wing spar to ‘lighten’ for Sopwith Strutter

: Laying out Sopwith Strutter’s wing spars to ‘lighten’.

: Displaying the Sopwith 1&frac12 Strutter with Gnome engine at Oshkosh 17

: Gnome Rotary with propeller at Oshkosh 2017

: Preparing to load fuselage onto trailer for trip to Oshkosh EAA Airventure 2017

: Shaft for propeller

: Closeup of Gnome pistons

: New production Gnome engine – a work of art!

: Fitting Gnome rotary engine to fuselage.

: Hoisting Gnome engine up to engine shield.

: Positioning engine on stands to hoist to aeroplane.

: Hoisting Gnome engine.

: Lifting out of the crate.

: Uncrating Gnome rotary engine.

: The new production Gnome Mono 100hp engine arrives.

: Petrol tank fitted on fuselage for attachment.

: Petrol bearers – fitting the tank.

: Finished seams on petrol tank.

: Master welder working on the 40 gallon petrol tank.

: Petrol tank bearer mockup.

: Tyres that needs to be spoked. Whats that in front?

: Jig for the aileron ribs.

: Front engine shield – 24 gauge aluminum.

: Aluminum sheet fitted to engine mount for measuring.

: Air brake in the 90 degree stopping position.

: Finished air brake assembly.

: The Strutter was the first plane to incorporate air brakes.

: Air brake assembly construction

: Assembled flanges (inner ribs) on the shaft for the air brake.

: Fine metal work on the flanges – inner ribs.

: Pilots armored seat and cushion.

: Bent under-shield made of 22 gauge aluminum.

: Pressing the metal flange blanks over wood pattern for fold.

: Cutting out the flange components for the air brake assembly.

: The pilot sits in front of the gas tank in an armored seat.

: Cockpit decking – floor. Just enough to rest your feet.

: Undercarriage strut made from 4130 steel. Primed and painted.

: More laser cut metal pieces out of 1018 steel.

: Steel for 40 gallon petrol tank.

: Checking the decking fit.

: Patterning plywood for decking.

: Formers on the fuselage.

: Sanding formers

: Side formers.

: Gluing spruce plywood for cockpit.

: Completed tail skid and stern post assembly.

: Pondering the empennage — horizontal stabilizer.

: Sopwith Strutter fuselage – looking through the engine mount.

: Fuselage ready for next phase – the formers

: Varnishing a covey of wing ribs!

: Finished wing ribs. Just need to be varnished.

: Wing rib jig for gluing.

: Bending the wing cap – placing wet cap in jig to cure.

: Wing caps soaking in the gutter!

: Finished rudder assembly – just needs covering.

: Rudder assembly almost completed.

: Undercarriage metal struts in strut pocket fitting.

: Metal cabane struts in place held by the top wing center section.

: This is the section the pilot sits and flies the aeroplane.

: Engine bearer strut

: Details of eyebolt and ferrule.

: Front engine mounting plate on Sopwith fuselage

: Basic fuselage with fittings and cables.

: Example of rigging, fittings, and copper wire.

: Assembling the port and starboard sides of the fuselage.

: Fuselage with longerons and vertical struts. Come tapered but not varnished.

: Longerons on jig with metal fittings and vertical struts being assembled.

: Placing metal fittings on jig.

: Inventory of SL fittings.

: SL-1 fitting dipped in rust prevention paint.

: Finished longeron splice

: Ready to apply epoxy to hold splice.

: Longeron splice drying. Next it will be covered with varnish.

: Gluing spliced ash longerons together.

: Original Sopwith Strutter drawings by Replicraft.