Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith
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Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith (T.O.M. Sopwith) was a founder of the Sopwith Aviation School.
Sopwith learned to fly a balloon at age 18; by age 22 (1910), had taught himself to fly an airplane, earning Britain's 31st aviator certificate; raised money for his airplane manufacturing company by stunt flying.
- Sopwith was interested in motor cycles, and took part in the 100-mile Tricar trial in 1904 where he was one of four medal winners.[1] He also tried hot air ballooning, his first ascent being in C.S. Rolls' balloon in June 1906.[2] Together with Phil Paddon he bought his own hot air balloon from Short Brothers.[2] For a while he was in business with Phil Paddon selling automobiles as Paddon & Sopwith, Albermarle St, Picadilly, London.[2][3]
- Sopwith became interested in flying after seeing John Moisant flying the first cross-Channel passenger flight. His first flight was with Gustave Blondeau in a Farman at Brooklands. He soon taught himself to fly on a Howard Wright Avis monoplane and took to the air on his own for the first time on 22 October 1910. He crashed after travelling about 300 yards (275 m), but soon improved, and on 22 November was awarded Royal Aero Club Aviation Certificate No. 31, flying a Howard Wright 1910 Biplane.[3]
- On 18 December 1910, Sopwith won a £4000 prize for the longest flight from England to the Continent in a British-built aeroplane, flying 169 miles (272 km) in 3 hours 40 minutes. He used the winnings to set up the Sopwith School of Flying at Brooklands.[3]
- In June 1912 Sopwith with Fred Sigrist and others set up the Sopwith Aviation Company, initially at Brooklands.[4] On 24 October 1912 using a Wright Model B completely rebuilt by Sopwith and fitted with an ABC 40 hp engine,[5] Harry Hawker took the British Michelin Endurance prize with a flight of 8h 23m. Sopwith Aviation got its first military aircraft order in November 1912, and in December moved to larger premisies in Kingston upon Thames. The company produced more than 18,000 British World War I aircraft for the allied forces, including 5747 of the Sopwith Camel single-seat fighter. Sopwith was awarded the CBE in 1918.[3]
Patents whose inventor or applicant is Thomas Sopwith or Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith
- Patent GB-1916-108598 (English title: Improvements in and relating to Wind Screens for the Pilot, Observer, or Gunner upon Aircraft, Filing date: 1916-11-01)
- Patent GB-1916-109146 (English title: Improved Construction and Arrangement of Axle for Aeroplanes and the like, Filing date: 1916-11-01)
- Patent GB-1916-110795 (English title: Improved Device for the Attachment of Cables, Wires, and the like, upon Aircraft, Filing date: 1916-11-01)
- Patent GB-1916-126031 (English title: Improved Means for Operating the Tail Planes of Aeroplanes and the like, Filing date: 1916-11-01)
- Patent FR-1917-494326 (English title: Improved device for securing, on overhead ships, cables, wires and the like, Supplementary to patent: GB-1916-11-01, Filing date: 1917-02-24)
- Patent FR-1917-498978 (English title: Improvements in landing frames or launch carts for airplanes and other similar devices, Supplementary to patent: Patent GB-1916-11-01, Filing date: 1917-04-27)
- Patent FR-1920-498979 (English title: Improvements in the brakes for airplanes, Filing date: 1917-04-27)
- Patent US-1917-1239736 (English title: Landing-chassis or under-carriage of aeroplanes and the like, Filing date: 1917-05-12)
Publications by or about Thomas Sopwith or Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith
- Bamfourth, Catherine Jill, Abbott, Malcolm, Entrepreneurs of the sky: Case studies on entrepreneurial learning from the early British aviation industry, 2019 (Simple title: Entrepreneurs of the sky: Case studies on entrepreneurial learning from the early British aviation industry)
References
- ↑ Reminiscences of Motor Cycling, Ixion, EP, http://www.goodkarmaproductions.com/HTML/PDF/IXION.pdf
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hugh Driver. The Birth of Military Aviation, Royal Historical Society, 1997, ISBN 978-0-86193-234-4
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 w:Thomas_Sopwith
- ↑ The ABC Motor Cycle, Motor Cycle, 19 Dec 1918, p541
- ↑ The Sopwith-Wright biplane, Flight magazine, 23 Nov 1912, pages 1075–79, http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1912/1912%20-%201078.html
- w:Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith
- Catherine Jill Bamforth; Malcolm Abbott. 2019. Entrepreneurs of the sky: Case studies on entrepreneurial learning from the early British aviation industry, Business History, DOI: 10.1080/00076791.2019.1579196 -- With comparison of four quick-learning and successful pioneers and entrepreneurs of British aviation, this study illustrates the relevance of "communities of practice established through apprenticeships, airshows and hobby groups" which gave these newcomers "access to resources and knowledge that allowed them to effectively learn."
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