Sopwith Tabloid
role : light bomber and fast scout
first flight : 27 November 1913 Harry Hawker at Farnborough
operational : June 1914
country : United-Kingdom
design : T.O.M. Sopwith and F. Sigrist
production : 40 aircraft (Kingston-on-Thames)
general information :
The Tabloid was designed as sports aircraft. During a test flight on 29 November 1913 it reached a speed of 148 km/u and climbed to 336m in 1 minute. The prototype was a two-seater, with the crew seated side by side, later aircraft were single-seaters. At the start of WWI a few Tabloids were used by the RFC and RNAS, they were sent to France 27 August 1914.
They were used as fast scouts but also for the first long range strategic bombing missions. The Tabloids were the first British aircraft to attack targets in Germany. On 22 September 1914 4 Tabloids 3rd sq. RNAS took of from an airstrip in Wilrijk near Antwerp. They set off to attack the Zeppelin sheds at Cologne and Dusseldorf. Only Charles Collet could find his target in the thick fog based on dead-reckoning navigation, a remarkable achievement. He glides down below the fog and drops two 9 kg Hales bombs from 120m height. One bombs explodes at 30m from the Zeppelin shed. The second did not explode, a dud.
20lb Hales bomb dropped by Charles Collet from his Tabloid but was a dud.
Collet climbs within the clouds before the Germans realise what happened and returns safely at his base in Wilrijk. The other planes also return safely after having circled for more then one hour above Cologne without finding there goals. For this flight Collet receives the DFC. On 08 October 1914 the RNAS tries again. Two Tabloids took of from Antwerp, while it was actually evacuated, and flew the 175km to Cologne and Dusseldorf. Spencer Grey could not find the dirigible shed but managed to drop his bombs on the main railroad station in Cologne. Lt Reginal Marix in his Tabloid no.168 did find the Zeppelin sheds at Dusseldorf and drops his two 9 kg bombs on the shed. The shed immediately burst into flame destroying a newly completed Zeppelin, the LZ25 Z IX. The Tabloid was hit by small arms fire but could return to Belgium. He had to land 20 miles from his base and borrowed a bike to return to his squadron. Marix received the DSO for this mission.
users : RNAS, RFC
crew : 1
armament : no fixed armament
engine : 1 Gnome 7A Monosoupape air-cooled 7 -cylinder Monosoupape rotary engine 80 [hp](58.8 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 7.77 [m], length : 6.2 [m], height : 2.57[m]
wing area : 22.3 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 508 [kg]
empty weight operational (estimation): 325.1 [kg] bombload : 20 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed : 147 [km/hr] at sea-level
climbing speed : 336 [m/min]
service ceiling : 4572 [m]
endurance : 3.5 [hours]
estimated action radius : 232 [km]
description :
1-bay biplane with fixed landing gear and tail strut
two spar upper and lower wing
engines, landing gear, fuel and bombs in or attached to the fuselage
airscrew :
fixed pitch 2 -bladed tractor airscrew with max. efficiency :0.66 [ ]
estimated diameter airscrew 2.46 [m]
angle of attack prop : 19.41 [ ]
reduction : 1.00 [ ]
1214 did not have landing-skids. It was used for experiments with a Lewis machine gun firing through the propeller with deflector plates fitted to the prop.
airscrew revs : 1200 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 2.04 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 160 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
mean wing chord : 1.44 [m]
calculated wing chord (rounded tips): 1.66 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 5.41 []
estimated gap : 1.26 [m]
gap/chord : 0.88 [ ]
seize (span*length*height) : 124 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 6.5 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 16.2 [kg/hr] (22.1 [litre/hr]) at 65 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 8.18 [km/kg]
estimated total fuel capacity : 88 [litre] (64 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 109.4 [kg] = 1.86 [kg/KW]
weight 32 litre oil tank : 2.7 [kg]
oil tank filled with 0.4 litre oil : 0.4 [kg]
oil in engine 0 litre oil : 0.3 [kg]
fuel in engine 0 litre fuel : 0.3 [kg]
weight 9 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 1.4 [kg]
weight cowling 2.4 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 13.5 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 128 [kg](25.1 [%])
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fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 5.40 [cm]): 46 [kg]
bracing : 2.0 [kg]
fuselage covering ( 7.3 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 2.3 [kg]
weight controls + indicators: 5.2 [kg]
weight seats : 3.0 [kg]
weight other details, lighting set, etc. : 5.1 [kg]
weight bomb storage : 1.4 [kg]
weight 78 [litre] main fuel tank empty : 6.3 [kg]
weight engine mounts & firewalls : 3 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 75 [kg](14.7 [%])
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weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 14 [kg]
total weight ribs (29 ribs) : 30 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 700.9 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 178.0 [N]
total weight 8 spars : 24 [kg]
20lb Hales bomb
weight wings : 69 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 3.08 [kg]
weight 4 interplane struts & cabane : 5.8 [kg]
weight cables (39 [m]) : 1.5 [kg] (= 38 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 2.5 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (0.7 [m2]) : 2.3 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (2.5 [m2]): 7.9 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 86 [kg] (17.0 [%])
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weight armament : 0 [kg]
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wheel pressure : 254.0 [kg]
weight 2 wheels (680 [mm] by 76 [mm]) : 12.9 [kg]
weight tailskid : 1.7 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 16.0 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 30.6 [kg] (6.0 [%]
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calculated empty weight : 319 [kg](62.8 [%])
weight oil for 4.2 hours flying : 27.2 [kg]
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calculated operational weight empty : 346 [kg] (68.2 [%])
estimated operational weight empty : 325 [kg] (64.0 [%])
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weight crew : 81 [kg]
weight fuel for 2.0 hours flying : 32 [kg]
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operational weight : 460 [kg](90.5 [%])
bomb load : 20 [kg]
operational weight bombing mission : 480 [kg]
fuel reserve : 28 [kg] enough for 1.75 [hours] flying
operational weight fully loaded : 508 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 95 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 508 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (Take-off) : 8.63 [kg/kW]
total power : 58.8 [kW] at 1200 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 3.0 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 4.0 [g] ultimate load : 6.0 [g] load factor : 3.0 [g]
design flight time : 2.80 [hours]
design cycles : 554 sorties, design hours : 1550 [hours]
wing loading (MTOW) : 223 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 205 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
Note machine gun mounting on top wing
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.31 ["]
max.angle of attack (stalling angle) : 13.25 ["]
angle of attack at max.speed : 1.31 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.11 [ ]
lift coefficient at max.speed : 0.20 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0042 [ ]
drag coefficient at max.speed : 0.0412 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0371 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 62 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level (OW without bombload): 74 [km/hr]
min.drag speed (max endurance) : 95 [km/hr] at 2286 [m](power :43 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 101 [km/hr] at 2286 [m] (power:44 [%])
max.rate of climb speed : 90.2 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruising speed : 132 [km/hr] op 2286 [m] (power:66 [%])
design speed prop : 140 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 147 [km/hr] op 100 [m] (power:99 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level (without bombload) : 261 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off distance at sea-level : 111 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 8.03 [ ]
max. practical ceiling : 4750 [m] with flying weight :435 [kg]
practical ceiling (operational weight): 4425 [m] with flying weight :460 [kg]
practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 1 hour fuel) : 4025 [m] with flying weight :492 [kg]
published ceiling (4572 [m]
climb to 1500m (without bombload) : 6.51 [min]
climb to 3000m (without bombload) : 16.61 [min]
max.dive speed : 322.3 [km/hr] at 3025 [m] height
load factor at max.angle turn 1.82 ["g"]
turn radius at 500m: 40 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 10.2 [seconds] at 500m
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 3.75 [hours] with 1 crew and 20 [kg] bombload and 94.5 [%] fuel
published endurance : 3.50 [hours] with 1 crew and possible useful (bomb) load : 24 [kg] and 88.1 [%] fuel
action radius : 248 [km] with 1 crew and 20[kg] photo camera/radio transmitter or bombload
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 110 [litre] fuel : 660 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 20 [kg]
production : 2.59 [tonkm/hour]
oil and fuel consumption per tonkm : 8.74 [kg]
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notes :
Literature :
Praktisch handboek vliegtuigne deel 1 page 94,95,212
Jane's Fighting Aircraft WWI page 83
Jagdflugzeuge WO I page 6,18
bomber 14-39 page 12
historische vliegtuigen page 86
Fighters 1914-19 page 53,131
The friendless sky page 49
They fought for the sky page 59
Warplanes page 8,14
Five years in the Royal Flying Corps
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program.
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(c) B van der Zalm 04 January 2019 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4