Survivors and Modern Reproductions
Only two authentic Sopwith Triplanes remain in existence. N5912 was one of three aircraft built by Oakley & Co. Ltd. and delivered in late 1917. The aircraft saw no combat service and instead served with No.2 School of Aerial Fighting and Gunnery at Marske. After the war, the Imperial War Museum displayed the aircraft in a temporary exhibition until 1924. In 1936, the Royal Air Force acquired and restored the aircraft, flying it in several RAF Pageants at Hendon. Today, N5912 is preserved at the RAF Museum, Hendon.
N5486 was supplied to the Russian Government for evaluation in May 1917. In Russia, the aircraft was fitted with skis and used operationally until captured by the Bolshevists. The aircraft then served in the Red Air Force, probably as a trainer, and was rebuilt many times. Today, N5486 is preserved at the Central Air Force Museum, Monino, Russia.
The popularity of the Triplane has resulted in numerous modern reproductions, built by both museums and individual enthusiasts. Northern Aeroplane Workshops built a notable reproduction for the Shuttleworth Collection. The aircraft is marked as Dixie II, representing the original Dixie, serial N6290, of No. 8 Naval Squadron. In recognition of the reproduction's remarkable authenticity, Sir Thomas Sopwith decreed it to be a “late production” Triplane.
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Famous quotes containing the words survivors and/or modern:
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—Wilfred M. McClay, educator, author. The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America, p. 4, University of North Carolina Press (1994)