Sopwith Tabloid

infobox Aircraft
name = Tabloid/Schneider
type = Sports/Scout Aircraft
manufacturer = Sopwith Aviation Company



caption =The Sopwith Schneider. The aircraft in the photograph is similar to the Schneider Trophy aircraft which, piloted by Howard Pixton, won the 1914 Schneider Trophy in Monaco.
designer =
first flight =November avyear|1913
introduction =1914
retired =1915
status =
primary user = Royal Flying Corps
more users = Royal Naval Air Service
produced =
number built = 40 Tabloid, 160 Schneider
unit cost =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Sopwith Tabloid and Schneider were British biplane sports aircraft, one of the first to be built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. The "Tabloid" was so named because it was so small, its performance caused a sensation when it first appeared, surpassing the existing monoplanes of the day.

Design and development

The original Tabloid, which first flew in November avyear|1913, was a two-seater with a side-by-side configuration — unusual for the time. It had no ailerons, using wing warping for lateral rolling. It was originally powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnôme Monosoupape rotary engine and when tested by Harry Hawker at Farnborough the Tabloid reached 92 mph (148 km/h) while carrying a passenger. It took only one minute to reach 1200 ft (366 m). A total of 40 were built.

On 20 April avyear|1914, a floatplane version of the Tabloid, known as the Sopwith Schneider, powered by a 100-hp (75 kW) Gnôme Monosoupape engine, was piloted by Howard Pixton to win the Schneider Trophy in Monaco.Holmes, 2005. p 44.] The Schneider Racer was sent to the production line, a total of 160 aircraft were built, with little change from the first.

Attempts were made to operate Schneiders from seaplane carriers, including the HMS "Ben-my-Chree", but these were unsuccessful. On 6 August avyear|1915 a Schneider took off from the aircraft carrier HMS Campania. [Lamberton, 1960. p 58.]

Operational history

Single-seat variants of the Tabloid went into production in avyear|1914 and 36 eventually entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).Donald, 1997. p 849.] Deployed to France at the outbreak of the First World War, Tabloids were used as fast scouts. Some naval aircraft were armed with a Lewis gun on the top wing, firing over the propeller arc. One other aircraft used a Lewis gun firing through the propeller arc with deflector wedges mounted on the propeller blades.

The Tabloid also operated as a bomber. On 22 September 1914, Tabloids mounted the first raid by British aircraft on German soil. In their most famous mission, two RNAS Tabloids flying from Antwerp on 8 October 1914, raided the German Zeppelin sheds at Cologne and Düsseldorf. The Cologne target was not located, the railway station being bombed instead, but the shed at Düsseldorf was struck by two 20 lb bombs dropped from 600 ft and the Zeppelin Z.IX was destroyed. Bruce 8 November 1957, p.736.]

The Tabloid was withdrawn from service in early 1915.

Variants

;Tabloid::Original wheeled version.;1914 Schneider Racer:Tabloid equiped with floats.;Schneider:Float equipped, production version of Schneider Racer.;Lebed VII:Unlicenced copy of the design built by Lebed in Russia as a military reconnaissance aircraft;Lebed VIII:As Lebed VII but with revised undercarriage

Operators

; UK
* Royal Flying Corps
** No. 3 Squadron RFC
* Royal Naval Air Service
* Royal Air Force
** No. 201 Squadron RAF

pecifications

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref=
crew= one
capacity=
length main= 7.02 m
length alt= 23 ft
span main= 7.77 m
span alt= 25 ft 6 in
height main= 3.05 m
height alt=10 ft
area main= 22.39 m²
area alt= 241 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 545 kg
empty weight alt= 1,200 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 717 kg
max takeoff weight alt= 1,580 lb
more general=

engine (prop)=Gnôme Monosoupape
type of prop=9-cylinder rotary engine
number of props=1
power main= 75 kW
power alt= 100 hp
power original=
max speed main= 148 km/h
max speed alt=92 mph, 80 knots
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 510 km
range alt= 315 miles, 275 nm
ceiling main= 4,600 m
ceiling alt= 15,000 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
* Some RNAS aircraft fitted with 1 × forward-firing .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun
* 2 × 20 lb (9 kg) bombs
avionics=

ee also

aircontent
related=
* Sopwith Schneider
* Sopwith Baby
similar aircraft=
sequence=
lists=
*List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
*List of aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps
*List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service

see also=

References

* Bruce, J.M. " [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201645.html The Sopwith Tabloid, Schneider and Baby: Historic Military Aircraft No.17, Part I] ". "Flight". 8 November 1957. pp. 733-736.
* Bruce, J.M. " [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201677.html The Sopwith Tabloid, Schneider and Baby: Historic Military Aircraft No.17, Part II] ". "Flight". 15 November 1957. pp. 765-766.
* Bruce, J.M. " [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201755.html The Sopwith Tabloid, Schneider and Baby: Historic Military Aircraft No.17, Part IV] ". "Flight". 29 November 1957. pp. 845-848.
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* Thetford, Owen. "British Naval Aircraft since 1912". London:Putnam, Fourth edition, 1978. ISBN 0 370 30021 1.