Between the wars 1918-1939Discuss The Schneider Trophy in the Other Eras forums; Between 1913 and 1931, pilots from nations across the globe competed in the prestigious Schneider Trophy seaplane races. Not only ...
Between 1913 and 1931, pilots from nations across the globe competed in the prestigious Schneider Trophy seaplane races. Not only did the pilots break several world speed records (one of which stands today), the design improvements made on the racing aircraft between each competition led to a greater understanding of aeronautics, aircraft design and engine performance, as well as leading almost directly to the development of the Supermarine Spitfire.
Only recently have I learnt about/become interested in the race, and I'm keen on finding some newsreel footage or even just some interesting discussion on the aircraft, pilots and races themselves of this fantastic era in aviation history.
As an aside, the world record that still stands today is that of the world's fastest piston-engined seaplane, held by Francesco Agello when he piloted the Macchi M.C.72 to a speed of 440mph over three laps. The M.C.72 is pictured below:
I have always enjoyed the Schneider Racers. I read this a few years ago but if I remember correctly, it was a pretty good account of the races and aircraft. The Schneider Cup racers | Let Let Let – Warplanes
Of course, aircraft like the Supermarine S.6 are mentioned in every article and rightly so, but spend some time hunting down some of the oddities that did not do so well; like the tandem Savoia-Marchetti S.65, the 1320 HP Napier Lion powered Gloster VI (not bad for an engine that originally produced 450 HP.), Mitchell's advanced but unsuccessful Supermarine S.4, Al Williams' Packard-powered attempts, and many others.
Check out some amazing pics in Flight's archive - the link below is a compilation of images related to air races but there's plenty of Schneider Trophy stuff in there, including some of the less famous participants like the Gloster entry, from about page 7 of the compilation.
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