[MOC] Schneider Trophy - Sopwith Tabloid Schneider (Monaco 1914)

Hod Carrier · April 8

<-- Deperdussin Monocoque Coupe Schneider (Monaco 1913)

Having won in 1913, France chose to run the 1914 Schneider Trophy contest in Monaco over exactly the same course as before. With the previous year’s success in mind, the entry list was swelled with entries from France, Germany, Switzerland, Britain and the USA. However, in spite of the increasingly international nature of the entry list, the aircraft entered were still predominantly of French origin. One notable exception to this was the Sopwith Tabloid Schneider.

Originally flown in 1913, the Sopwith Tabloid was a small two-seat biplane powered by an 80hp Gnome 9-cylinder rotary engine. Seeing the potential of racing for publicity as well as technical development, T. O. M. Sopwith sought permission to remove one airframe from the production line to modify into a single seat seaplane racer. This aircraft would be powered by a 100hp Gnome “Monosoupape” 9-cylinder rotary engine that Sopwith himself brought back from Paris on the train as part of his personal luggage.

The development of this aircraft did not go smoothly. Initially it was equipped with a large central float but, while being tested on the River Hamble, the nose of the float dug in when the throttle was opened and the aircraft capsized and sank. It wasn’t until the following morning that the aircraft could be recovered from the river and returned to the factory for repair. With time running short the solution was to simply saw the central float in half lengthways to create a pair of floats. Testing of the new arrangements were limited due to the interference of the Thames Conservancy Board, but the new floats mounted further forward under the aircraft were found to be satisfactory.

When the British team arrived at Monaco they were initially dismissed by their rivals. The small biplane design was not considered as advanced as the French monoplanes, and the measly 100hp produced by the 9-cylinder engine, already showing signs of rust following its dip in the Hamble, was around half that produced by the 18-cylinder dual-row engines they used. However, they were soon to be disabused of their opinions.

With Sopwith test pilot Howard Pixton at the controls, the Tabloid Schneider took off fourth behind the Nieuports of Gabriel Espanet and Pierre Levasseur, and Swiss pilot Ernest Burri in an FBA flying boat. Pixton carried out the two mandated alightings and take-offs on the first lap without reducing speed and got round in half the time of his nearest competitor, going on to build up a commanding lead. The pursuing Nieuports were pushed hard to try to keep up, but both were forced to drop out when their engines overheated resulting in seized pistons. Having seen the speed of the Sopwith, Charles Weymann and Roland Garros delayed their starts, opting to wait and see if Pixton would fail to complete the distance.

In the end, Weymann and Garros waited in vain. Although the Sopwith’s engine developed a misfire on one cylinder and the speed dropped, lap times improved again and it could not prevent the little biplane from completing the course. Pixton went on to fly an additional two laps to secure a new world seaplane speed record over 300km. Although the French had been soundly beaten there was magnanimity in victory, as Sopwith reasoned that the win would not have been possible without the use of the French engine.

The Sopwith Tabloid Schneider became the pattern for the Sopwith Schneider scout (fighter) of the First World War. This seaplane was used by the Royal Navy Air Service (RNAS) in defence of Britain against Zeppelin raids. The Sopwith company went on to produce some of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) best known fighters, such as the Pup and Camel. After the First World War it was taken over and formed the basis of the Hawker Aircraft company, going on to produce the Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest, Hunter and Harrier.