AKL-200607 AviaCollection / AviaKollektsia series 7/2006: Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter WW1 Light Bomber and Reconnaissance Aircraft. Photos, schemes, colour pictures. 32 pages, soft cover, text in Russian.

CREATING A PLANE

One of the pioneers of British aviation, pilot and aircraft designer (and at the dawn of the 20th century, these professions were often combined in one person), Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith in 1913 decided to found his own company, calling it simply and without fancy - "Sopwith Aviation Company". that is, "Sopwith Aviation Company" (English - Sopwith Aviation Company). The company was engaged in the design and construction of airplanes, among which were dominated by two-seater sports planes, both with wheeled and with a float landing gear.Distinctive features of all Sopwich aircraft were the installation of an engine in the nose of the fuselage and a pulling propeller. It should be noted that in those days such a scheme had not yet become generally accepted, and many firms produced airplanes with pushing propellers.Within a few months after its foundation, the Sopvich company built an airplane, which brought worldwide fame to its creator. Two-seat float biplane, nicknamed "Tabloid" for its small size and large SOPWITH inscription along the side (English Tabloid - small-format newspaper with catchy headlines), on November 29, 1913, during the first demonstration flight set the British speed record - 148 km / h ... And on April 20 of the following year, the single-seat version of the Tabloid under the control of G. Pickston won the prestigious aviation race for the prize of the French arms magnate Schneider by a large margin from the rivals.Naturally, the British military immediately became interested in such a promising machine. They decided to use "Tabloid" as a scout - it was the only class of combat airplanes that had been fully formed by that time. The First World War soon broke out and several "tabloids" equipped with a wheeled chassis were sent to the Western Front. But it soon became clear that what was required from the army intelligence officer was not at all what the Tabloid was created for. To reduce the aerodynamic drag and weight of the plane, thus increasing its speed data, Sopwith reduced the geometric dimensions as much as possible, reduced the wingspan and area of the wings, thereby significantly complicating piloting. For the same reason, the airplane was distinguished by an excessively long take-off and high landing mileage.