tomsopwith

In addition to aviators Kenneth Mackenzie-Grieve, Harry Hawker and his wife Muriel, the gentleman standing in doorway is Hawker business partner, aviator, and aircraft designer Thomas Sopwith.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Hawker "Harry George Hawker MBE, AFC (22 January 1889 – 12 July 1921) was an Australian aviation pioneer. He was the chief test pilot for Sopwith and was also involved in the design of many of their aircraft. After World War One he co-founded Hawker Aircraft, the firm that would later be responsible for a long series of successful military aircraft. "

See "Harry Hawker: The Boy who wanted to Fly" localhistory.kingston.vic.gov.au/htm/article/188.htm

In May 1919, Harry George Hawker and navigator Kenneth Mackenzie Grieve attempted to win the Daily Mail £10,000 prize for the first flight across the Atlantic in a Sopwith biplane, s. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sopwith_Atlantic

Lieutenant Commander Kenneth Mackenzie-Grieve (1880-1942), s. 'Imperial Vancouver Island: Who Was Who, 1850-1950' by J. F. Bosher, p. 465 books.google.com/books?id=je2Jz_1c21sC&pg=PA465&l...

Wasn't Snoopy's aircraft the "Sopwith Camel"? from the wiki - In June 1912 Tom Sopwith with Fred Sigrist and others set up The Sopwith Aviation Company. The company produced key British World War I aircraft, most famously the Sopwith Camel. Sopwith was awarded the CBE in 1918 Learn something new everyday....

Interestingy Sopwith lived until 1989! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sopwith

appears to be this machine: pro.corbis.com/search/Enlargement.aspx?CID=isg&mediauid={42F3D440-8531-47B1-9EDD-0763FB057904} which was the first plane ever to land on the grounds at Windsor Castle February 1st 1911

The machine T.O.M. Sopwith is sitting (or really posing, even in those times people were not really flying in costume !) is the Howard Wright Biplane of 1910. Howard T. Wright was no relation to the Wright brothers. He was an English engineer building flying machines from 1907 on. Incomprehensibly Sopwith bought the machine and startled everybody when he made his first test flight on October 22, 1910 without ever having flown ! Machines were in constant modification, so on the LC picture a structure can be seen in front shielding the aviator from the (cold) wind. Originally the aviator was full blown in the wind. Also can be seen a big fuel tank somewhat behind the pilot. At first a smaller tank was dangerously above the aviator. Sure this is the machine that landed in Windsor Castle on February 1, 1911, probably not in this configuration on the picture. Sopwith took this Howard Wright Biplane to the USA in his 1912 trip, but crashed in the water off Manhattan Beach on September 10, 1912. The machine was completely destroyed, but Sopwith lived on to a very old age in the nineties. Sources: Bruce Robertson - Sopwith. The man and his aircraft. Harleyford, 1970 Peter Lewis - British Aircraft 1809 - 1914. Putnam, 1962 Cheers Kees

Varese2002: thank you for the Howard Wright biplane verification and references. We'll add this information to the source data and reload the description.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sopwith

Thanks! We'll add the new info.

Date on photo appears to be 9-19-11.

Wystan: Thanks for spotting the date here. We'll include that in the description next time we make updates to the record .

This is the Burgess-Wright Model F purchased by Sopwith to replace the Howard-Wright aircraft lost in the Atlantic Ocean off Brighton Beach, Long Island, New York September 10,1911

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sopwith

Sopwith came to USA in May 1911 to fly in airmeets and conduct passenger carrying flights . In May 1911 flights at Philadelphia. Gave passenger carrying flights at Nassau Boulevard Aerodrome (Long Island) and also flew at Chicago International Airmeet August 1911 and at Nassau Boulevard Aerodrome Airmeet of September 1911.