Sopwith Aviation Company
Sopwith Aviation Company | |
---|---|
legal form | |
founding | 1912 |
resolution | 1920 |
Reason for dissolution | insolvency |
Seat | Kingston upon Thames , UK |
Branch | Aviation industry |
The Sopwith Aviation Company was a British aircraft manufacturer at the beginning of the 20th century.
history
The Sopwith Aviation Company was founded in Kingston upon Thames in 1912 by Thomas Sopwith . During the First World War , the company was an important supplier for British fighter aircraft, with a total of around 16,000 aircraft produced, of which a not inconsiderable number of machines were manufactured by other British aircraft companies due to a lack of capacity at Sopwith. The best known was the Sopwith Camel .
After the First World War, Sopwith manufactured various civil aircraft based on the military machines. The deal, however, proved unprofitable due to the oversupply of aircraft at low prices in England. In 1919 Sopwith began a collaboration with motorcycle manufacturer ABC Motorcycles , in which Sopwith manufactured the 400 cc motorcycles from ABC under license. Sopwith also acquired ABC Motors to diversify the business risk. The economic decline of the company could not be averted, and so Sopwith had to file for bankruptcy in 1920. The company buildings in Ham were acquired by Leyland Motors .
Immediately after the collapse of the company, Thomas Sopwith founded HG Hawker Engineering, the forerunner of what would later become Hawker Aircraft and Hawker Siddeley , together with Harry Hawker and several other business partners . Famous aircraft models such as the well-known British fighter in World War II , the Hawker Hurricane or the whiz kid Hawker Siddeley Harrier were created in the factories of these companies .