Alcock Scout
| Alcock Scout | |
|---|---|
 Alcock Scout | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 15 October 1917 |
| Retired | 1918 |
The Alcock Scout, a.k.a. A.1 and Sopwith Mouse, was a curious "one-off" experimental fighter biplane flown briefly during World War I. It was assembled by Flight Lieutenant John Alcock at Moudros, a Royal Naval Air Service base in the Aegean Sea. Alcock took the forward fuselage and lower wings of a Sopwith Triplane, the upper wings of a Sopwith Pup and the tailplane and elevators of a Sopwith Camel, and married them to a rear fuselage and vertical tail surface of original design (presumably by Alcock himself). It was powered by a 110 hp Clerget 9Z engine, and carried a .303 Vickers machine gun.
Affectionally referred to as the 'Sopwith Mouse' by Alcock and his fellow designers, Alcock never flew it himself, but squadron-mate FSL Norman Starbuck made a few flights in it, the first on 15 October 1917. However, it crashed in early 1918, was written off and never flew again.
Specifications (approximate)
[edit]Data from War Planes of the First World War: Volume One Fighters[1][nb 1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 19 ft 1 in (5.82 m)
- Wingspan: 24 ft 3 in (7.39 m)
- Height: 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m)
- Powerplant: 1 × Clerget 9Z nine-cylinder rotary engine , 110 hp (84 kW)
Armament
- 1 x .303 Vickers machine gun
Notes
[edit]Citations
[edit]References
[edit]- Bruce, J.M. (1965). War Planes of the First World War: Volume One Fighters. London: Macdonald.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 56.
- The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander Books. p. 302.