In an earlier chapter of this book reference was made to the deviation of the hub of British aviation from Brooklands to Hendon, where the London Aerodrome had by now developed into a popular rendezvous of London folk, and a good selection of British and Continental racing aeroplanes was to be found. Two days after having erected the Tabloid Harry flew it over to Hendon at a speed of over 94 miles per hour. Entering the aerodrome, he made two circuits at what was then considered an astounding speed, estimated at 90 miles per hour. Earlier in the day he had been down to Farnborough with the machine, where in an official test he attained a maximum speed of 92 miles per hour, a landing speed of 36·9 miles per hour, and a rate of ascent of 1,200 feet per minute. This performance, which was a world’s record, was carried out with a passenger and fuel for 2½ hours. Empty, the machine weighed only 680 lb. On the following day Harry returned from Hendon to Brooklands, where he was surrounded by numerous admirers of the new Sopwith-Hawker product.
TESTING THE LIFEBOAT. ON THE BACK OF THE ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPH HARRY WROTE: “NOTE THE BROKEN ICE BETWEEN THE BOAT AND SHORE.”
[Facing p. 122.
THIS PICTURE SHOWS SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES IN GETTING THE AEROPLANE TO THE STARTING-GROUND IN NEWFOUNDLAND. THE DRIVER APPARENTLY TOOK THINGS LYING DOWN.
[Facing p. 122.
The following description of the Sopwith Tabloid is extracted from Flight, December 20th, 1913:
“When the latest production of the Sopwith Aviation Co. made its bow to the public at Hendon a few Saturdays ago it did so like a bolt from the blue, and, wasting no time in showing what it could do, immediately completed two circuits at a speed of about 90 m.p.h. The successes of the former Sopwith machines—designed by Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith and Mr. Sigrist—are, no doubt, still fresh in our readers’ minds, and with this new 80 h.p. “baby” biplane, in the design of which Mr. H. G. Hawker, who piloted the former machines to success, has played an important part, it seems that further achievements will soon be added to the credit of this go-ahead Kingston firm.
“The general lines of the new biplane are similar to those of the other Sopwith Tractor machines.... It has been designed with the intention of producing what might be called an exhibition machine, that is to say, a machine capable of performing all sorts of evolutions such as steep bankings, small circles, switchbacks, etc. This machine is therefore of small dimensions, having a span of 25 ft. 6 ins. and an over-all length of 25 ft. The total area of the main planes is 240 sq. ft., which gives a loading 3 lb. per sq. ft. light or 4·5 lb. per sq. ft. fully loaded, the weight of the machine empty, and with pilot and 3½ hours’ fuel, being 670 lb. and 1,060 lb. respectively. The main planes, which are comparatively flat, are set at a slight dihedral angle, and the top plane is staggered forward 1 ft. They are built up in two cellules, the lower planes being attached to the lower portion of the fuselage, whilst the top planes are secured to a centre panel supported above the fuselage by two pairs of struts; there are only two other pairs of struts, separating the main planes near the extremities.... In plan form the planes have a greater length in the trailing edge, as on the Morane monoplane. The fuselage follows usual Sopwith practice, being rectangular in section, tapering to a vertical knife-edge at the rear. The pilot is seated in a small cockpit between the planes, whilst another seat for a passenger is provided on the pilot’s right. The forward ends of the top and bottom longerons converge, forming an attachment for the front engine bearer. The 80 h.p. Gnome engine is mounted in the nose of the fuselage, and is almost completely covered by a neat aluminium cowl, but is nevertheless efficiently cooled by the stream of air pressing through a narrow slit formed in the cowl by the front engine bearer; the lower extremity of the engine also projects slightly below the cowl. The latter is easily detachable, and hinges forward, giving easy access to the valves. The carburetter, to which the petrol is fed by gravity, projects within the cockpit, and can easily be got at by the pilot or passenger. The landing chassis has been considerably modified, and consists of two short skids, each connected to the fuselage by a pair of struts. At the rear the skids are connected by a streamlined cross-strut, in the centre of which is hinged the divided axle, carrying at its outer extremities the covered-in running wheels. In its normal position the axles lie in a groove formed in the cross-strut, thus maintaining the streamline effect of the latter. The axle is sprung by means of rubber shock-absorbers attached to the skids, and is held in position by two very short radius rods, hinged to the rear extremities of the skids. In order to prevent the cross-strut from bending downwards in the middle, it is braced at this point to the fuselage by a wire.... The tail consists of a semi-circular stabilising plane, to the trailing edge of which are hinged two elevator flaps with a balanced vertical rudder, almost circular in shape, between them....