WWI Two-Seat Fighter Kit:

This full-size Sopwith 1½ Strutter kit contains period correct wood, metal fittings, cables and hardware, all ready-to-assemble. This two-seat fighter can be configured with either single or dual flight controls.

What’s Included in the Sopwith 1½ Strutter Kit:

The Sopwith 1½ Strutter is available as a complete kit and includes the following sub-components:

Fuselage Kit: Wooden longerons and cross-members, wire & cable, and painted stainless steel metal fittings.

Wing Kit: Spruce spars and ribs, riblets, metal fittings, wire and cable.

Tail Kit: Wooden structure, stabilizers, rudder, elevators, wire and cable.

Undercarriage Kit: Left and right undercarriage struts, axle fairing, wheels, axle, tail skid, and bungees.

Strut Kit: Cabane and interplane struts with stainless steel socket assemblies.

Cowl & Panel Kit: Engine cowling, fuselage metal panels and access doors.

Flight Controls Kit: Pulleys, cables, joy stick, rudder bar, airbrake controls, and elevator controls.

Fuel Tank Kit: 40 gallon tank (pre-made ready-to-install)

Oil Tank Kit: 10½ gallon tank (pre-made ready-to-install)

Windscreen Kit: pilots’ and gunners’ windscreens.

Complete Kit: All kits listed above in single or dual controls with instructions, a complete set of original drawings, and unlimited, toll-free support from our customer service department.

What You Need:

The vintage enthusiast supplies the following according to their preference:

• Engine (We recommend the Gnome Rotary engine by CAMS)
• Instrumentation
• Flying wires
• Fabric covering – originally covered in linen; there are several FAA approved synthetic coverings available.

Time Frame for Easy Build:

We estimate approximately 2,000 man hours to build the Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter.  No welding is required, varnishing wood components and assembly. Just think of it as a giant erector set.

Assemble by yourself or with our assistance, or have the experts at KipAero assemble one for you. Please inquire.

Time Frame to Receive Kit:

Although we inventory many of the metal fittings for these kits, most wood and other components will not be fabricated until receipt of your order. Please allow 6-8 months depending on our back-log and availability of raw materials. Questions? Please give us a call at (888) 243-0440 or use our contact page.

Sopwith 1½ Strutter Specifications

Built in the thousands, the Sopwith 1½ Strutter was the workhorse of the war.

Factory Specifications:

Sopwith 1½ Strutter Historical Summary

This two-seater fighting scout was the first British aeroplane to have a machine-gun firing through the airscrew disc by means of an interrupter gear, and was also the first to be fitted with a Scarff ring mounting for the observer, later to become standardized.

The name “1½ Strutter” emanated from the splayed centre section struts, which appeared to be composed of “one-and-a-half” struts, the inner short and the outer long.

Upon their arrival on the Western Front as reinforcements for the Battle of the Somme on the 24th of May 1916, Strutters were used for fighting, escort duties, reconnaissance and day bombing. A vast improvement over the ‘pusher’ type machines previously used for such work, Strutters were soon outmatched by the new Albatros and Halberstadt scouts. Even so, the type was used by the air services of many countries throughout the war and became one of the mainstays of the American Expeditionary Forces. It continued in service into the early 1920’s with the United States and Royal Navies in observation duties, flying from wooden platforms fitted to the turrets of battleships.