Replica WWI planes on track for 100th anniversary flight over Vimy Ridge

One of the most iconic planes of the First World War will appear in the skies againnext spring.

Volunteers at the Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, B.C., have built two replicas of the Sopwith Pup to be flown over Vimy Ridge in April onthe 100th anniversary of one of the most legendary battles in Canadian military history.

Allan Snowie will be flying one of the replicas as formation leader. He says many WWI pilots described the Pup as the most delightful aircraft they'd flown.

"An amazing thing to say about a combat aircraft," Snowie said. "But it was well-balanced in the controls. It handled well. They felt very safe in it."

Snowie said the Pup was primarily used to escort photo-reconnaissance planes slow-flying aircraft that took aerial photos used to make maps and provide combat intelligence.

Though not as powerful as its more famous older brother, the Sopwith Camel, and soon outclassed by more advanced German fighters, Snowie said the Pup remained popular for its speed and maneuverability.

"You could escape, if nothing else," he said.

Though built to look like the original, the replicas use modern components and construction materials.

"It's a bit ironic, but we've got a German Volkswagen engine powering this World War I aircraft," Snowie said.

The Pup's wooden frame has been recreated with aluminum, and its Irish linen exterior with an industry-specific polyester called ceconite, making the modern aircraft much less flammable than the original, which Snowie sayswas quite fragile.

"They were written off at a fairly fast rate. Almost as fast as the pilots, sadly," Snowie said. "Not a lot of them survived the war."

This April, the two replica Pups will join two Comox-built replica Nieuport XIs forming two period-authentic formations for a series of flights over Vimy Ridge in France to mark the centennial of the historic battle.

And Snowie is definitely looking forward to it.

"The word honouris thrown around a little too loosely these days, but this will be a great honour," he said.

With files from Anita Bathe.