BRITAIN’S "TABLOID" AEROPLANES.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 7, Issue 141, 17 February 1915, Page 3

BRITAIN’S "TABLOID" AEROPLANES.

A HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR

HARD TO Hit

On more than one occasion British airmen have penetrated into German territory and succeeded in dripping bombs. Although these daring raids reliefl much credit on the plucky avia tors attached to the British Air Service. it is doubtful whether they could have been so successfully carried oui had not the Flying Corps boon recently provided with a new type of acre piano, which can give points I > an,' German machine. This is rise tiny BE tish-built biplane known as tho tabloid, ? ' owing to its dirnin.iiiv ' sine an.)

on machines of this type the British ah raiders have been able tc carry out their hazardous feats. The machine is a vwy light aeroplane, fitted with an SO-b.p. engine, and the high power forces tho frail machine through the air at a norma l speed of one bundled miles an hour. Over the engine is lilted a big 1 armoured cow! ami the body of the aeroplane tapers almost to a

point, so that in appearance it resembles a big bullet piercing the atmosphere. Owing to tho enormous snood at which these machines can travel, they present most elusive marks to the German gunners, and also the slower i'aubc monoplanes cannot overtake them in the air. The manner in which the- Flying Corps use the Sopwßhs for bomb-drop-, oing purposes is to approach tire.r ground target at a height or about 5,000 ft, then they bring down the nose >f their little machine;; and dive almost vertically earth winds at a speed of .110 miles an hour. When nitliiu 500 ft of the object they desire to destroy, they drop several bombs in rapid succession, ami then shoot skywards 'gain, aided by the tremendous in inien--lum gained by their swift descent. -It vas thus that Lieutenant Marix dn pped bombs on the Zeppelin shed at Dus* seldorf, when he destroyed one of the Kaiser’s airships, and, although hntrim! s of rounds of amnuinit: in werr lied at his machine, tho gunners could not register a hit owing to the terrific ipeed of his tiny machine. These British biplanes arc the fastest and most dangerous fighting machines participating in tho war.