Sopwith Tabloid

The Sopwith Tabloid was a small sporting biplane, built by the Sopwith Aviation Company and named for its size, that caused a sensation at its first public appearance. Harry Hawker first flew it on 27 November 1913. It was unusual in seating two people side by side, and its engine cowling almost covered the top half of the rotary engine. A floatplane version, the Schneider, was prepared in under a month and won the 1914 Schneider Trophy race flown by Howard Pixton. The military ordered both types, a few Tabloids saw limited service in the early war years, and some Schneiders were still in naval service at the Armistice. In all 160 were built, and only reproductions survive.