Sopwith Two-seater

The Sopwith Two‑seater, built by the Sopwith Aviation Company between 1914 and 1915, was one of the earliest British designs intended for both training and reconnaissance duties. Originally conceived as a refinement of the company’s successful single‑seat scout, the aircraft featured a conventional biplane layout with equal‑span wings, a wood‑frame fuselage covered in fabric, and a fixed, two‑wheel landing gear. Powered by a 100 hp Gnome rotary engine, the two‑seater could reach 80 mph and offered an endurance of roughly three hours, sufficient for the short-range observation missions of the time.

Its most notable characteristic was the side‑by‑side seating arrangement, which gave an instructor clear visual contact with the pupil and allowed a rear observer to operate a flexible Lewis gun for defensive fire. The cockpit layout, combined with relatively docile handling, made the aircraft a popular trainer for the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. Although quickly superseded by more powerful aircraft, the Sopwith Two‑seater played a crucial role in preparing pilots for front‑line combat and demonstrated the value of dual‑control trainers, influencing future British military aircraft development.