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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{infobox Aircraft
{|{{Infobox aircraft begin
|name = Tabloid/Schneider
|name = Tabloid/Schneider
|image = File:Sopwith Schneider.jpg
|type = Sports/Scout Aircraft
|caption =
}}{{Infobox aircraft type
|type = Sports/scout aircraft
|national origin= United Kingdom
|manufacturer = [[Sopwith Aviation Company]]
|manufacturer = [[Sopwith Aviation Company]]
|designer =[[Fred Sigrist]]
|image =Image:Sopwith Schneider.jpg
|first flight = 1913
|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]].
|introduction = 1914
|designer =
|retired = 1918
|first flight =November {{avyear|1913}}
|introduction =1914
|retired =1915
|status =
|status =
|primary user = [[Royal Flying Corps]]
|primary user = [[Royal Flying Corps]]
|more users = [[Royal Naval Air Service]]
|more users = [[Royal Naval Air Service]]
|produced =
|produced =
|number built = 40 Tabloid, 160 Schneider
|number built = About 42 Tabloids, 136 Schneiders<ref name="Bruceiv p847"/>
|variants with their own articles = [[Sopwith Baby]]
|unit cost =
|developed from =
|variants with their own articles =
}}
}}
|}


The '''Sopwith Tabloid''' and '''Schneider''' were [[United Kingdom|British]] [[biplane]] [[Sportsplane|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 [[monoplane]]s of the day.
The '''Sopwith Tabloid''' and '''Sopwith Schneider''' (floatplane) were British [[biplane]]s, originally designed as sports aircraft and later adapted for military use. They were among the first successful types to be built by the [[Sopwith Aviation Company]]. The "[[Tabloid (newspaper format)|Tabloid]]", so named because of its small size, caused a sensation when it made its first public appearance.

A [[floatplane]] variant was prepared in under a month and entered for the 1914 [[Schneider Trophy]] race where it was piloted by [[Howard Pixton]]. This aircraft won the competition against minimal opposition.<ref name=BruceDatafile1>Bruce, 1996, p.1</ref>

Production orders for both types were placed by the military, and although a few [[Gnome Lambda]]-powered Tabloids saw limited service in the early war years, some Schneiders were still in Naval service four years later, at the end of the [[First World War]].


==Design and development==
==Design and development==
The original Tabloid, which first flew in November {{avyear|1913}}, was a two-seater with a side-by-side configuration &mdash; unusual for the time. It had no [[aileron]]s, using [[wing warping]] for [[Flight dynamics|lateral rolling]]. It was originally powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) [[Gnôme Monosoupape]] [[rotary engine]] and when tested by [[Harry Hawker]] at [[Farnborough, Hampshire|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.
The original Tabloid, which was first flown by [[Harry Hawker]] on 27 November 1913, was a two-seat single-bay biplane with a side-by-side seating, which was unusual at the time. The equal-span wings were staggered and used [[wing warping]] for lateral control. The rectangular-section fuselage was a conventional wire-braced wooden structure with the forward section covered in aluminium sheet and the remainder, aft of the cockpit, covered in fabric. The wings were also of wood, covered with fabric. The tail surfaces were of steel tubing, fabric-covered, and the undercarriage had a pair of forward-projecting skids in addition to the wheels. The most distinctive feature of the design was the engine cowling, which almost entirely covered the upper half of the engine.

The prototype was powered by an {{cvt|80|hp}} [[Gnome Lambda]] [[rotary engine]] and in a trial flown by [[Harry Hawker]] at [[Farnborough, Hampshire|Farnborough]] the Tabloid reached {{cvt|92|mph}} and took only one minute to reach {{cvt|1200|ft}} while carrying a passenger and enough fuel for 2{{frac|1|2}} hours. A production order from the [[War Office]] for the [[Royal Flying Corps]] was placed early in 1914, and a total of 40 were built to this specification. However, the aircraft's speed made it an obvious candidate for entry to the [[Schneider Trophy]] competition.

[[File:Sopwith Tabloid on floats which won the 1914 Schneider Race.jpg|thumb|Sopwith Tabloid on floats which won the 1914 Schneider Race]]

Accordingly, a floatplane adaptation was prepared, to be powered by a {{cvt|100|hp}} [[Gnome Monosoupape]], which [[Thomas Sopwith|T.O.M. Sopwith]] personally collected from Paris. This was initially fitted with a single central float, but on its first taxiing trials with [[Howard Pixton]] at the controls the aircraft turned over as soon as the engine was started, and remained in the water for some hours before it could be retrieved. Great effort was made to make the waterlogged machine airworthy, and, lacking the time to prepare a new set of floats, the existing float was simply sawn in half down the middle and converted into a pair of floats.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kingstonaviation.org/stories/fred-sigrist-and-the-tabloid.html|title=Obituary of Fred Sigrist|type=letters|newspaper=[[The Times]]|first=Thomas|last=Sopwith|author-link=Thomas Sopwith|date=14 December 1957}}</ref> After a satisfactory test flight on 7 April the aircraft was shipped to Monaco, where the competition was to take place.

The competition was won by Pixton.<ref group=note>The race was technically a time trial as each contestant departed in their own time and was timed, rather than them racing directly against each other.</ref> Sopwith did not expect to win,<ref name=Pixton278>Pixton, 2014, p.278</ref> but all of the leading contenders dropped out from mechanical problems connected to their nearly universal use of a larger two row rotary engine theoretically developing {{cvt|160|hp}} to the Sopwith's 100, leaving the Sopwith to lap the only remaining contender in a {{cvt|100|hp}} [[FBA Type A]] [[flying boat]] even before it stopped to refuel.<ref name=Pixton285>Pixton, 2014, p.285</ref> Pixton completed his first circuit in around two thirds of the time taken by the FBA. One other competitor broke his prop without completing the race. It was the first British designed and built aircraft to win a major international contest.<ref name=Pixton297>Pixton, 2014, p.297</ref> Much was made of the British design, with a British made Integral propeller, and protected with British cellon dope in the British press.<ref name=Pixton287>Pixton, 2014, p.287</ref> Despite the other competitors dropping out, the Sopwith's speed, coupled with Pixton's flying skill, made for a convincing victory. The prizewinning variant was then known as the Sopwith Schneider. After completing the twenty-eight circuits required for the actual race, at an average speed of {{cvt|86.75|mph}} and suffering from a misfiring cylinder, he made additional laps to set a new world record for seaplanes.<ref name="brucei p734-5">Bruce ''Flight'' 8 November 1957, pp. 734–735.</ref>


The first order, for twelve "Schneider" [[floatplane]] aircraft, was placed in November 1914 by the [[Royal Naval Air Service]].<ref name=BruceDatafile3>Bruce, 1996, p.3</ref> Like the race winner, these were powered by the {{cvt|100|hp}} Monosoupape and differed only in minor detail from the racer - most noticeably in the redesigned tail float. Later production aircraft were fitted with [[ailerons]] in place of wing-warping, and were fitted with a [[Lewis gun]] firing upwards through an opening in the wing centre-section, and development would lead to the [[Sopwith Baby]].
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]].<ref name="Holmes">Holmes, 2005. p 44.</ref> The Schneider Racer was sent to the production line, a total of 160 aircraft were built, with little change from the first.<ref name="Donald"/>


In all 160 were built. No original Tabloids or Schneiders survive but full-size reproductions are displayed at the [[RAF Museum]] Hendon and [[Brooklands Museum]] and a full-scale replica kit is sold by [[Airdrome Aeroplanes]] for homebuilders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.airdromeaeroplanes.com/ |title=Airdrome Aeroplanes ~ Holden, MO|access-date=6 July 2017}}</ref>
Attempts were made to operate Schneiders from [[seaplane carrier]]s, including the [[HMS Ben-my-Chree|HMS ''Ben-my-Chree'']], but these were unsuccessful. On 6 August {{avyear|1915}} a Schneider took off from the aircraft carrier [[HMS Campania]].<ref>Lamberton, 1960. p 58.</ref>


==Operational history==
==Operational history==
[[File:Sopwith Tabloid Biplane Thomas Brothers Aeroplane Co., Ithaca, New York, 1915 (28943756843).jpg|right|thumb|Single seat Sopwith Tabloid at Ithaca, New York, 1915]]
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).<ref name="Donald">Donald, 1997. p 849.</ref> Deployed to [[France]] at the outbreak of the [[World War I|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.


Single-seat variants of the Tabloid went into production in 1914 and 36 eventually entered service with the [[Royal Flying Corps]] and [[Royal Naval Air Service]] (RNAS).<ref name="Donald">Donald, 1997. p 849.</ref> Deployed to [[France]] at the outbreak of the [[World War I|First World War]], Tabloids were used as fast [[Scout (aircraft)|scouts]].
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.<ref name="Bruce PtI p736"> Bruce 8 November 1957, p.736.</ref>


Some naval aircraft were armed with a [[Lewis gun]] on the top wing, firing over the [[Propeller (aircraft)|propeller]] arc. One other aircraft used a Lewis gun firing through the propeller arc with deflector wedges mounted on the propeller blades, but the Tabloid was also used as a [[bomber]], when on 22 September 1914 Tabloids mounted the first raid by British aircraft on German soil; and in their most famous mission two RNAS Tabloids flying from [[Antwerp]] on 8 October 1914 attacked the German [[Zeppelin]] sheds at [[Cologne]] and [[Düsseldorf]]. The Cologne target was not located, the railway station being bombed instead, but the Zeppelin shed at Düsseldorf was struck by two {{cvt|20|lb}} bombs dropped from {{cvt|600|ft}} and Zeppelin [[List of Zeppelins#LZ 25|''Z IX'']] destroyed.<ref name="Bruce PtI p736">Bruce ''Flight'' 8 November 1957, p.&nbsp;736.</ref>
The Tabloid was withdrawn from service in early 1915.

During 1915 attempts were made to use Schneiders to intercept Zeppelins over the [[North Sea]], launching them from [[seaplane carrier]]s including {{HMS|Ben-my-Chree}} and {{HMS|Engadine|1911|2}}, but these efforts were largely unsuccessful due to heavy seas either damaging the floats or making takeoff impossible entirely.

On 6 August 1915 a Schneider took off from the aircraft carrier {{HMS|Campania|1914|6}} using a jettisonable dolly.<ref>Lamberton, 1960. p 58.</ref>

A single Sopwith Schneider fighter seaplane was acquired by Captain Shiro Yamauchi, during an inspection tour of England, during 1915. While in [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] service it was designated '''Yokosuka Navy Ha-go Small Seaplane'''.<ref name="Mikesh">Mikesh, Robert and Shorzoe Abe. ''Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941''. London: Putnam, 1990. {{ISBN|0-85177-840-2}}</ref>


==Variants==
==Variants==
;Tabloid - original wheeled version.
;Tabloid:
:Original wheeled version, two seater, 6 built
;1914 Schneider Racer - Tabloid equiped with floats.
;Single-seater Tabloid:
;Schneider - float equipped, production version of Schneider Racer.
:Single-seat version for RFC and RNAS, 32+ built
;1914 Schneider Racer
:Single-seater Tabloid equipped with floats, 1 or 2 built
;Schneider
:Float equipped, production version of Schneider Racer for RNAS, 133 built
;[[Gordon Bennett Trophy (aeroplanes)|Gordon Bennett]] Racer
:Variant with the fuselage partially faired to a circular section, a smaller fin and rudder, conventional engine cowling and V strut undercarriage without skids. Maximum speed {{convert|105|mph|kph|abbr=on}} Taken into service by the Admiralty on the outbreak of war as Nos. 1214 and 1215. Two built.<ref>Lewis 1962, p.492.</ref>
;Lebed VII
:Unlicensed copy of the design built by [[Lebed (aircraft manufacturer)|Lebed]] in Russia as a military reconnaissance aircraft
;Lebed VIII
:As Lebed VII but with revised undercarriage
;Yokosuka Navy Ha-go Small Seaplane
:A single Sopwith Schneider fighter seaplane operated by the IJN<ref name="Mikesh"/>


==Operators==
==Operators==
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* [[Royal Air Force]]
* [[Royal Air Force]]
** [[No. 201 Squadron RAF]]
** [[No. 201 Squadron RAF]]
;{{JPN}}
*[[Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service]]
;{{RUS}}
*[[Imperial Russian Navy]]


==Specifications==
==Specifications (Production Schneider)==
[[File:Sopwith Tabloid RAFM.jpg|thumb|The Sopwith Tabloid replica on display at the [[Royal Air Force Museum]].]]
{{aircraft specifications
{{Aircraft specs
<!-- if you do not understand how to use this template, please ask at [[Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Aircraft]] -->
|ref=Sopwith – The Man and His Aircraft<ref name="Robertson p234-5,8-9">Robertson 1970, pp. 234–235, 238–239.</ref>
|plane or copter?=<!-- options: plane/copter --> plane
|prime units?=imp
|jet or prop?=<!-- options: jet/prop/both/neither --> prop
<!--
<!-- Now, fill out the specs. Please include units where appropriate (main comes first, alt in parentheses). If an item doesn't apply leave it blank. For instructions on using |more general=, |more performance=, |power original=, and |thrust original= see [[Template talk:Aircraft specifications]]. -->
General characteristics
|ref=
-->
|crew= one
|crew=1
|capacity=
|length main= 7.02 m
|length ft=22
|length alt= 23 ft
|length in=10
|span main= 7.77 m
|span ft=25
|span alt= 25 ft 6 in
|span in=8
|height main= 3.05 m
|height ft=10
|height alt=10 ft
|height in=0
|area main= 22.39 m²
|wing area sqft=240
|wing area note=<ref name="Bruceiv p848">Bruce ''Flight'' 29 November 1958, p. 848.</ref>
|area alt= 241 ft²
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=
|airfoil=
|empty weight main= 545 kg
|empty weight lb=1220
|empty weight alt= 1,200 lb
|gross weight lb=1700
|loaded weight main=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|fuel capacity=
|loaded weight alt=
|useful load main=
|useful load alt=
|max takeoff weight main= 717 kg
|max takeoff weight alt= 1,580 lb
|more general=
|more general=
<!--
Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=[[Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type B-2]]
|eng1 type=9-cylinder rotary engine
|eng1 hp=100

|prop blade number=2
|prop name=wooden propeller
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
Performance
-->
|max speed mph=87
|cruise speed mph=
|stall speed mph=
|never exceed speed mph=
|range miles=510
|combat range miles=
|ferry range miles=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=7000
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ftmin=
|time to altitude={{cvt|6500|ft}} in 15 minutes
|lift to drag=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=


|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=
|more performance=
<!--
|armament=
Armament
* Some RNAS aircraft fitted with 1 &times; forward-firing [[.303 British|.303 in]] (7.7 mm) [[Lewis gun]]
-->
* 2 &times; 20 lb (9 kg) bombs
|guns= 1 × [[.303 British|{{cvt|0.303|in}}]] [[Lewis gun]] occasionally fitted<ref name="Bruceiv p847">Bruce ''Flight'' 29 November 1957, p. 847.</ref>
|avionics=
|bombs=1× {{cvt|65|lb}} or up to 5× {{cvt|20|lb}} bombs<ref name="Bruceiv p847"/>
}}
}}


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{{aircontent|
{{aircontent|
|related=
|related=
* Sopwith Schneider
* [[Sopwith Baby]]
* [[Sopwith Baby]]
|similar aircraft=
|similar aircraft=
*[[Avro 511]]
*[[Bristol Scout]]
|sequence=
|sequence=
|lists=
|lists=
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*[[List of aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps]]
*[[List of aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps]]
*[[List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service]]
*[[List of aircraft of the Royal Naval Air Service]]

|see also=
|see also=
}}
}}


==References==
==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


===Notes===
{{refbegin}}
{{Reflist|group=note}}
* 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 International|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 International|Flight]]''. [[15 November]] [[1957]]. pp. 765-766.
===Bibliography===
* 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 International|Flight]]''. [[29 November]] [[1957]]. pp. 845-848.
{{Commons category|Sopwith Tabloid}}
* {{cite encyclopedia | editor = Donald, David | encyclopedia =The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft | volume = | pages = pg | publisher = Prospero Books | date = 1997 | id = ISBN 1-85605-375-X | accessdate = }}
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last= Holmes |first= Tony |title=Jane's Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide |year=2005 |publisher=Harper Collins |location=London |isbn = 0 0071 9292 4 |pages= }}
* Bruce, J.M. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110520141004/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201645.html The Sopwith Tabloid, Schneider and Baby: Historic Military Aircraft No.17, Part I]". ''[[Flight International|Flight]]''. 8 November 1957. pp.&nbsp;733–736. Archived from the [https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201645.html original] {{dead link|date=July 2021}} on 20 May 2011.
* {{cite book |last= Lamberton |first= W.M. |title=Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War |year=1960 |publisher=Harleyford Publications Ltd. |location=Herts |pages= 58-59 }}
* Bruce, J.M. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110520141013/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 International|Flight]]''. 15 November 1957. pp.&nbsp;765–766. Archived from the [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201677.html original] on 20 May 2011.
* Thetford, Owen. ''British Naval Aircraft since 1912''. London:Putnam, Fourth edition, 1978. ISBN 0 370 30021 1.
* Bruce, J.M. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150225100208/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201731.html The Sopwith Tabloid, Schneider and Baby: Historic Military Aircraft No.17, Part III]". ''[[Flight International|Flight]]''. 22 November 1957. pp.&nbsp;821–822. Archived from the [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201731.html original] on 25 February 2015.
{{refend}}
* Bruce, J.M. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110520141018/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 International|Flight]]''. 29 November 1957. pp.&nbsp;845–848. Archived from the [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1957/1957%20-%201755.html original] on 20 May 2011.
*{{cite book|last=Bruce|first=J.M.|title=Sopwith Baby|series=Windsock Datafile 60|publisher=Albatros Publications|location=Hertfordshire, UK|year=1996|isbn=978-0948414794}}
* {{cite encyclopedia | editor = Donald, David | encyclopedia =The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft | publisher = Prospero Books | year = 1997 | isbn = 1-85605-375-X }}
* {{cite book |last= Holmes |first= Tony |title=Jane's Vintage Aircraft Recognition Guide |year=2005 |publisher=Harper Collins |location=London |isbn = 0-00-719292-4 }}
* {{cite book |last= Lamberton |first= W.M. |title=Fighter Aircraft of the 1914–1918 War |url= https://archive.org/details/fighteraircrafto0000unse |url-access= registration |year=1960 |publisher=Harleyford Publications Ltd. |location=Herts |pages= [https://archive.org/details/fighteraircrafto0000unse/page/58 58]–59 }}
* Lewis, Peter, ''British Aircraft 1809–1914''. London: Putnam, 1962.
* {{cite book|last=Pixton|first=Stella |title=Howard Pixton, Test Pilot and Pioneer Aviator|publisher=Pen and Sword Aviation|location=South Yorkshire|year=2014|edition=epub|isbn=978-1473834941}}
* Robertson, Bruce. ''Sopwith – The Man and His Aircraft''. Letchwoworth, UK: Air Review, 1970. {{ISBN|0-900435-15-1}}.
* Thetford, Owen. ''British Naval Aircraft since 1912''. London:Putnam, Fourth edition, 1978. {{ISBN|0-370-30021-1}}.
*Mikesh, Robert and Shorzoe Abe. ''Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941''. London: Putnam, 1990. {{ISBN|0-85177-840-2}}
{{Refend}}


{{Sopwith Aviation Company aircraft}}
{{Sopwith Aviation Company aircraft}}
{{wwi-air}}
{{Lebed aircraft}}
{{aviation lists}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:British bomber aircraft 1910-1919]]
[[Category:1910s British sport aircraft]]
[[Category:British military reconnaissance aircraft 1910-1919]]
[[Category:Military aircraft of World War I]]
[[Category:British sport aircraft 1910-1919]]
[[Category:Biplanes]]
[[Category:World War I aircraft]]
[[Category:Single engine aircraft]]
[[Category:Propeller aircraft]]
[[Category:Biplane aircraft]]
[[Category:Sopwith aircraft|Tabloid]]
[[Category:Sopwith aircraft|Tabloid]]
[[Category:Schneider Trophy]]
[[Category:Schneider Trophy]]
[[Category:Floatplanes]]

[[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[de:Sopwith Tabloid]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1913]]
[[es:Sopwith Tabloid]]
[[Category:Rotary-engined aircraft]]
[[pl:Sopwith Tabloid]]

Latest revision as of 12:40, 16 March 2023

Tabloid/Schneider
Role Sports/scout aircraft
National origin United Kingdom
Manufacturer Sopwith Aviation Company
Designer Fred Sigrist
First flight 1913
Introduction 1914
Retired 1918
Primary users Royal Flying Corps
Royal Naval Air Service
Number built About 42 Tabloids, 136 Schneiders[1]
Variants Sopwith Baby

The Sopwith Tabloid and Sopwith Schneider (floatplane) were British biplanes, originally designed as sports aircraft and later adapted for military use. They were among the first successful types to be built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. The "Tabloid", so named because of its small size, caused a sensation when it made its first public appearance.

A floatplane variant was prepared in under a month and entered for the 1914 Schneider Trophy race where it was piloted by Howard Pixton. This aircraft won the competition against minimal opposition.[2]

Production orders for both types were placed by the military, and although a few Gnome Lambda-powered Tabloids saw limited service in the early war years, some Schneiders were still in Naval service four years later, at the end of the First World War.

Design and development[edit]

The original Tabloid, which was first flown by Harry Hawker on 27 November 1913, was a two-seat single-bay biplane with a side-by-side seating, which was unusual at the time. The equal-span wings were staggered and used wing warping for lateral control. The rectangular-section fuselage was a conventional wire-braced wooden structure with the forward section covered in aluminium sheet and the remainder, aft of the cockpit, covered in fabric. The wings were also of wood, covered with fabric. The tail surfaces were of steel tubing, fabric-covered, and the undercarriage had a pair of forward-projecting skids in addition to the wheels. The most distinctive feature of the design was the engine cowling, which almost entirely covered the upper half of the engine.

The prototype was powered by an 80 hp (60 kW) Gnome Lambda rotary engine and in a trial flown by Harry Hawker at Farnborough the Tabloid reached 92 mph (148 km/h) and took only one minute to reach 1,200 ft (370 m) while carrying a passenger and enough fuel for 21⁄2 hours. A production order from the War Office for the Royal Flying Corps was placed early in 1914, and a total of 40 were built to this specification. However, the aircraft's speed made it an obvious candidate for entry to the Schneider Trophy competition.

Sopwith Tabloid on floats which won the 1914 Schneider Race

Accordingly, a floatplane adaptation was prepared, to be powered by a 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape, which T.O.M. Sopwith personally collected from Paris. This was initially fitted with a single central float, but on its first taxiing trials with Howard Pixton at the controls the aircraft turned over as soon as the engine was started, and remained in the water for some hours before it could be retrieved. Great effort was made to make the waterlogged machine airworthy, and, lacking the time to prepare a new set of floats, the existing float was simply sawn in half down the middle and converted into a pair of floats.[3] After a satisfactory test flight on 7 April the aircraft was shipped to Monaco, where the competition was to take place.

The competition was won by Pixton.[note 1] Sopwith did not expect to win,[4] but all of the leading contenders dropped out from mechanical problems connected to their nearly universal use of a larger two row rotary engine theoretically developing 160 hp (120 kW) to the Sopwith's 100, leaving the Sopwith to lap the only remaining contender in a 100 hp (75 kW) FBA Type A flying boat even before it stopped to refuel.[5] Pixton completed his first circuit in around two thirds of the time taken by the FBA. One other competitor broke his prop without completing the race. It was the first British designed and built aircraft to win a major international contest.[6] Much was made of the British design, with a British made Integral propeller, and protected with British cellon dope in the British press.[7] Despite the other competitors dropping out, the Sopwith's speed, coupled with Pixton's flying skill, made for a convincing victory. The prizewinning variant was then known as the Sopwith Schneider. After completing the twenty-eight circuits required for the actual race, at an average speed of 86.75 mph (139.61 km/h) and suffering from a misfiring cylinder, he made additional laps to set a new world record for seaplanes.[8]

The first order, for twelve "Schneider" floatplane aircraft, was placed in November 1914 by the Royal Naval Air Service.[9] Like the race winner, these were powered by the 100 hp (75 kW) Monosoupape and differed only in minor detail from the racer - most noticeably in the redesigned tail float. Later production aircraft were fitted with ailerons in place of wing-warping, and were fitted with a Lewis gun firing upwards through an opening in the wing centre-section, and development would lead to the Sopwith Baby.

In all 160 were built. No original Tabloids or Schneiders survive but full-size reproductions are displayed at the RAF Museum Hendon and Brooklands Museum and a full-scale replica kit is sold by Airdrome Aeroplanes for homebuilders.[10]

Operational history[edit]

Single seat Sopwith Tabloid at Ithaca, New York, 1915

Single-seat variants of the Tabloid went into production in 1914 and 36 eventually entered service with the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS).[11] 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, but the Tabloid was also used as a bomber, when on 22 September 1914 Tabloids mounted the first raid by British aircraft on German soil; and in their most famous mission two RNAS Tabloids flying from Antwerp on 8 October 1914 attacked the German Zeppelin sheds at Cologne and Düsseldorf. The Cologne target was not located, the railway station being bombed instead, but the Zeppelin shed at Düsseldorf was struck by two 20 lb (9.1 kg) bombs dropped from 600 ft (180 m) and Zeppelin Z IX destroyed.[12]

During 1915 attempts were made to use Schneiders to intercept Zeppelins over the North Sea, launching them from seaplane carriers including HMS Ben-my-Chree and Engadine, but these efforts were largely unsuccessful due to heavy seas either damaging the floats or making takeoff impossible entirely.

On 6 August 1915 a Schneider took off from the aircraft carrier HMS Campania using a jettisonable dolly.[13]

A single Sopwith Schneider fighter seaplane was acquired by Captain Shiro Yamauchi, during an inspection tour of England, during 1915. While in Imperial Japanese Navy service it was designated Yokosuka Navy Ha-go Small Seaplane.[14]

Variants[edit]

Tabloid
Original wheeled version, two seater, 6 built
Single-seater Tabloid
Single-seat version for RFC and RNAS, 32+ built
1914 Schneider Racer
Single-seater Tabloid equipped with floats, 1 or 2 built
Schneider
Float equipped, production version of Schneider Racer for RNAS, 133 built
Gordon Bennett Racer
Variant with the fuselage partially faired to a circular section, a smaller fin and rudder, conventional engine cowling and V strut undercarriage without skids. Maximum speed 105 mph (169 km/h) Taken into service by the Admiralty on the outbreak of war as Nos. 1214 and 1215. Two built.[15]
Lebed VII
Unlicensed copy of the design built by Lebed in Russia as a military reconnaissance aircraft
Lebed VIII
As Lebed VII but with revised undercarriage
Yokosuka Navy Ha-go Small Seaplane
A single Sopwith Schneider fighter seaplane operated by the IJN[14]

Operators[edit]

 United Kingdom
 Japan
 Russia

Specifications (Production Schneider)[edit]

The Sopwith Tabloid replica on display at the Royal Air Force Museum.

Data from Sopwith – The Man and His Aircraft[16]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 22 ft 10 in (6.96 m)
  • Wingspan: 25 ft 8 in (7.82 m)
  • Height: 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m)
  • Wing area: 240 sq ft (22 m2) [17]
  • Empty weight: 1,220 lb (553 kg)
  • Gross weight: 1,700 lb (771 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Monosoupape 9 Type B-2 9-cylinder rotary engine, 100 hp (75 kW)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed wooden propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 87 mph (140 km/h, 76 kn)
  • Range: 510 mi (820 km, 440 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 7,000 ft (2,100 m)
  • Time to altitude: 6,500 ft (2,000 m) in 15 minutes

Armament

See also[edit]

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References[edit]

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Bruce Flight 29 November 1957, p. 847.
  2. ^ Bruce, 1996, p.1
  3. ^ Sopwith, Thomas (14 December 1957). "Obituary of Fred Sigrist". The Times (letters).
  4. ^ Pixton, 2014, p.278
  5. ^ Pixton, 2014, p.285
  6. ^ Pixton, 2014, p.297
  7. ^ Pixton, 2014, p.287
  8. ^ Bruce Flight 8 November 1957, pp. 734–735.
  9. ^ Bruce, 1996, p.3
  10. ^ "Airdrome Aeroplanes ~ Holden, MO". Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  11. ^ Donald, 1997. p 849.
  12. ^ Bruce Flight 8 November 1957, p. 736.
  13. ^ Lamberton, 1960. p 58.
  14. ^ a b Mikesh, Robert and Shorzoe Abe. Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941. London: Putnam, 1990. ISBN 0-85177-840-2
  15. ^ Lewis 1962, p.492.
  16. ^ Robertson 1970, pp. 234–235, 238–239.
  17. ^ Bruce Flight 29 November 1958, p. 848.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The race was technically a time trial as each contestant departed in their own time and was timed, rather than them racing directly against each other.

Bibliography[edit]

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