Miloch
July 18th 19, 02:10 PM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schneider_Trophy
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, commonly called the Schneider
Trophy or Schneider Prize (sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Schneider
Cup, a different prize), was a trophy awarded annually (and later, biennially)
to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying boats. The Schneider Trophy is
now held at the Science Museum, South Kensington, London.
Announced in 1912 by Jacques Schneider, a French financier, balloonist and
aircraft enthusiast, the competition offered a prize of approximately £1,000.
The race was held twelve times between 1913 and 1931. It was intended to
encourage technical advances in civil aviation but became a contest for pure
speed with laps over a (usually) triangular course (initially 280 km, later 350
km). The contests were staged as time trials, with aircraft setting off
individually at pre-agreed times, usually 15 minutes apart. The contests were
very popular and some attracted crowds of over 200,000 spectators. An earlier
trophy, also presented by Jacques Schneider in 1910, in France, was the
Schneider Cup, which is now in the possession of the RAF College Cranwell.
If an aero club won three races in five years, they would retain the trophy and
the winning pilot would receive 75,000 francs for each of the first three wins.
Each race was hosted by the previous winning country. The races were supervised
by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and the aero club in the hosting
country. Each club could enter up to three competitors with an equal number of
alternatives.
The race was significant in advancing aeroplane design, particularly in the
fields of aerodynamics and engine design, and would show its results in the best
fighters of World War II. The streamlined shape and the low drag, liquid-cooled
engine pioneered by Schneider Trophy designs are obvious in the British
Supermarine Spitfire, the American North American P-51 Mustang, and the Italian
Macchi C.202 Folgore.
The Schneider Trophy is a sculpture of silver & bronze set on a marble base. It
depicts a zephyr skimming the waves, and a nude winged figure is seen kissing a
zephyr recumbent on a breaking wave. The heads of two other zephyrs and of
Neptune, the god of the Sea, can be seen surrounded by octopus and crabs. The
symbolism represents speed conquering the elements of sea and air
The first competition was held on 16 April 1913, at Monaco. It was won by a
French Deperdussin at an average speed of 73.56 km/h (45.71 mph).
The British won in 1914 with a Sopwith Tabloid flown by Howard Pixton at 139.74
km/h (86.83 mph).
After World War I, the competition resumed in 1919 at Bournemouth where in foggy
conditions the Italian team won. They were later disqualified and the race was
voided.
In 1920 and 1921 at Venice the Italians won—in 1920 no other nation entered and
in 1921 the French entry did not start. After 1921, an additional requirement
was added: the winning seaplane had to remain moored to a buoy for six hours
without human intervention.
In 1922 in Naples the British and French competed with the Italians. The British
private entry, a Supermarine Sea Lion II, was the victor. The French aircraft
did not start the race, which became a competition between the Sea Lion and
three Italian aircraft, including a Macchi M.7 and a Savoia.
The 1923 trophy, contested at Cowes, went to the Americans with a sleek,
liquid-cooled engined craft designed by Glenn Curtiss. It used the Curtiss D-12
engine. US Navy Lieutenant David Rittenhouse won the cup.
In 1924 there was no competition as no other nation turned out to face the
Americans—the Italians and the French withdrew and both British craft crashed in
pre-race trials.
In 1925 at Chesapeake Bay the Americans won again, the US pilot Jimmy Doolittle
winning in a Curtiss R3C ahead of the British Gloster III and the Italian entry.
Two British planes did not compete (R. J. Mitchell's Supermarine S.4 and the
other Gloster III were damaged before the race). Two of the American planes did
not finish.
In 1926, the Italians returned with a Macchi M.39 and won against the Americans
with a 396.69 km/h (246.49 mph) run at Hampton Roads.
In 1927 at Venice there was a strong British entry with government backing and
RAF pilots (the High Speed Flight) for Supermarine, Gloster, and Shorts.
Supermarine's Mitchell-designed S.5s took first and second places. 1927 was the
last annual competition, the event then moving to a biennial schedule to allow
for more development time.
In 1929, at Calshot, Supermarine won again in the Supermarine S.6 with the new
Rolls-Royce R engine with an average speed of 528.89 km/h (328.64 mph). Both
Britain and Italy entered two new aircraft and a backup plane from the previous
race.
In 1931 the British government withdrew support, but a private donation of
£100,000 from Lucy, Lady Houston, allowed Supermarine to compete and win on 13
September against only British opposition, with reportedly half a million
spectators lining the beachfronts. The Italian, French, and German entrants
failed to ready their aircraft in time for the competition. The remaining
British team set both a new world speed record (610 km/h (380 mph)) and won the
trophy outright with a third straight win. The following days saw the winning
Supermarine S.6B further break the world speed record twice, making it the first
craft to break the 400 mph barrier on 29 September at an average speed of 655.8
km/h (407.5 mph).
Development of the other entrants did not cease there. The proposed Italian
entrant (the Macchi M.C.72) which pulled out of the contest due to engine
problems later went on to set two new world speed records. In April 1933 (over
Lake Garda, in northern Italy) it set a record with a speed of 682.36 km/h
(424.00 mph). Eighteen months later in the same venue, it broke the 700 km/h
barrier with an average speed of 709.202 km/h (440.678 mph). Both times the
plane was piloted by Francesco Agello. This speed remains the fastest speed ever
attained by a piston-engined seaplane.
For a complete list of the aircraft which competed in the competitions, see
Schneider Trophy aircraft.
Revival in name
In 1981 the race was revived, in name if not in concept, by the Royal Aero Club
of Great Britain to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Britain's ultimate
retention of the Trophy. The original Trophy remained in the Science Museum, and
a full-size replica was cast and the race opened on a handicapped basis to any
propeller–driven landplane capable of maintaining 100 miles per hour in straight
and level flight, and weighing up to 12,500 lb. Pilots also had to have a
minimum of 100 hours as pilot-in-command, and a valid air racing licence.
Following that event, the UK subsidiary of US computer company Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC) independently decided to sponsor a long-term revival of the
Schneider Trophy, with the first race held in 1984. The idea was submitted by
DEC's then UK PR consultancy Infopress as part of a broader commercial
sponsorship programme designed to increase DEC's presence in the UK market at
that time. DEC sponsored this revived race series from 1984 until 1991, which
also marked the diamond jubilee of the final race in the original series. DEC
and Infopress turned to the expertise of the Royal Aero Club's Records, Racing &
Rally Association which again administered and ran the actual races. The 1981
Solent course, itself a close approximation of the original 1929 and 1931
Schneider Trophy courses over the Solent, was also used and adapted from year to
year.
This sponsorship had a profound effect on the awareness and popularity of
handicapped air racing in the UK and further afield, as well as markedly
increasing DEC's commercial profile in the UK. The appeal of the race, its
historic connections, and the fact that prize money was now on offer, meant that
the entry list for the race was large enough to warrant the introduction of
heats from 1985 onwards. (The 1984 race field was 62 entrants, believed at the
time to be the largest-ever in all forms of air racing.)
The event received further boosts in 1986, when it was started by HRH Prince
Andrew and his then fiancée Sarah Ferguson; in 1987, when the event was featured
as one episode in a BBC television documentary series; and in 1988, when it was
a central part of that year's ITV Telethon Appeal.
DEC invited customers and partners to each year's event as guests, and the
general public watched in increasing numbers as the series grew in size and
popularity.
For the pilots taking part, the event became, along with the King's Cup Race,
the highlight of the UK's air racing season, and regularly attracted entrants
from continental Europe.
DEC continued to sponsor the races through 1991. Since that time, the race has
been run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association along with
the King's Cup and the British air racing championship. The venue has varied but
is still flown on most occasions around a Solent-based course, usually around
September of each year.
*
The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, commonly called the Schneider
Trophy or Schneider Prize (sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Schneider
Cup, a different prize), was a trophy awarded annually (and later, biennially)
to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying boats. The Schneider Trophy is
now held at the Science Museum, South Kensington, London.
Announced in 1912 by Jacques Schneider, a French financier, balloonist and
aircraft enthusiast, the competition offered a prize of approximately £1,000.
The race was held twelve times between 1913 and 1931. It was intended to
encourage technical advances in civil aviation but became a contest for pure
speed with laps over a (usually) triangular course (initially 280 km, later 350
km). The contests were staged as time trials, with aircraft setting off
individually at pre-agreed times, usually 15 minutes apart. The contests were
very popular and some attracted crowds of over 200,000 spectators. An earlier
trophy, also presented by Jacques Schneider in 1910, in France, was the
Schneider Cup, which is now in the possession of the RAF College Cranwell.
If an aero club won three races in five years, they would retain the trophy and
the winning pilot would receive 75,000 francs for each of the first three wins.
Each race was hosted by the previous winning country. The races were supervised
by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and the aero club in the hosting
country. Each club could enter up to three competitors with an equal number of
alternatives.
The race was significant in advancing aeroplane design, particularly in the
fields of aerodynamics and engine design, and would show its results in the best
fighters of World War II. The streamlined shape and the low drag, liquid-cooled
engine pioneered by Schneider Trophy designs are obvious in the British
Supermarine Spitfire, the American North American P-51 Mustang, and the Italian
Macchi C.202 Folgore.
The Schneider Trophy is a sculpture of silver & bronze set on a marble base. It
depicts a zephyr skimming the waves, and a nude winged figure is seen kissing a
zephyr recumbent on a breaking wave. The heads of two other zephyrs and of
Neptune, the god of the Sea, can be seen surrounded by octopus and crabs. The
symbolism represents speed conquering the elements of sea and air
The first competition was held on 16 April 1913, at Monaco. It was won by a
French Deperdussin at an average speed of 73.56 km/h (45.71 mph).
The British won in 1914 with a Sopwith Tabloid flown by Howard Pixton at 139.74
km/h (86.83 mph).
After World War I, the competition resumed in 1919 at Bournemouth where in foggy
conditions the Italian team won. They were later disqualified and the race was
voided.
In 1920 and 1921 at Venice the Italians won—in 1920 no other nation entered and
in 1921 the French entry did not start. After 1921, an additional requirement
was added: the winning seaplane had to remain moored to a buoy for six hours
without human intervention.
In 1922 in Naples the British and French competed with the Italians. The British
private entry, a Supermarine Sea Lion II, was the victor. The French aircraft
did not start the race, which became a competition between the Sea Lion and
three Italian aircraft, including a Macchi M.7 and a Savoia.
The 1923 trophy, contested at Cowes, went to the Americans with a sleek,
liquid-cooled engined craft designed by Glenn Curtiss. It used the Curtiss D-12
engine. US Navy Lieutenant David Rittenhouse won the cup.
In 1924 there was no competition as no other nation turned out to face the
Americans—the Italians and the French withdrew and both British craft crashed in
pre-race trials.
In 1925 at Chesapeake Bay the Americans won again, the US pilot Jimmy Doolittle
winning in a Curtiss R3C ahead of the British Gloster III and the Italian entry.
Two British planes did not compete (R. J. Mitchell's Supermarine S.4 and the
other Gloster III were damaged before the race). Two of the American planes did
not finish.
In 1926, the Italians returned with a Macchi M.39 and won against the Americans
with a 396.69 km/h (246.49 mph) run at Hampton Roads.
In 1927 at Venice there was a strong British entry with government backing and
RAF pilots (the High Speed Flight) for Supermarine, Gloster, and Shorts.
Supermarine's Mitchell-designed S.5s took first and second places. 1927 was the
last annual competition, the event then moving to a biennial schedule to allow
for more development time.
In 1929, at Calshot, Supermarine won again in the Supermarine S.6 with the new
Rolls-Royce R engine with an average speed of 528.89 km/h (328.64 mph). Both
Britain and Italy entered two new aircraft and a backup plane from the previous
race.
In 1931 the British government withdrew support, but a private donation of
£100,000 from Lucy, Lady Houston, allowed Supermarine to compete and win on 13
September against only British opposition, with reportedly half a million
spectators lining the beachfronts. The Italian, French, and German entrants
failed to ready their aircraft in time for the competition. The remaining
British team set both a new world speed record (610 km/h (380 mph)) and won the
trophy outright with a third straight win. The following days saw the winning
Supermarine S.6B further break the world speed record twice, making it the first
craft to break the 400 mph barrier on 29 September at an average speed of 655.8
km/h (407.5 mph).
Development of the other entrants did not cease there. The proposed Italian
entrant (the Macchi M.C.72) which pulled out of the contest due to engine
problems later went on to set two new world speed records. In April 1933 (over
Lake Garda, in northern Italy) it set a record with a speed of 682.36 km/h
(424.00 mph). Eighteen months later in the same venue, it broke the 700 km/h
barrier with an average speed of 709.202 km/h (440.678 mph). Both times the
plane was piloted by Francesco Agello. This speed remains the fastest speed ever
attained by a piston-engined seaplane.
For a complete list of the aircraft which competed in the competitions, see
Schneider Trophy aircraft.
Revival in name
In 1981 the race was revived, in name if not in concept, by the Royal Aero Club
of Great Britain to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Britain's ultimate
retention of the Trophy. The original Trophy remained in the Science Museum, and
a full-size replica was cast and the race opened on a handicapped basis to any
propeller–driven landplane capable of maintaining 100 miles per hour in straight
and level flight, and weighing up to 12,500 lb. Pilots also had to have a
minimum of 100 hours as pilot-in-command, and a valid air racing licence.
Following that event, the UK subsidiary of US computer company Digital Equipment
Corporation (DEC) independently decided to sponsor a long-term revival of the
Schneider Trophy, with the first race held in 1984. The idea was submitted by
DEC's then UK PR consultancy Infopress as part of a broader commercial
sponsorship programme designed to increase DEC's presence in the UK market at
that time. DEC sponsored this revived race series from 1984 until 1991, which
also marked the diamond jubilee of the final race in the original series. DEC
and Infopress turned to the expertise of the Royal Aero Club's Records, Racing &
Rally Association which again administered and ran the actual races. The 1981
Solent course, itself a close approximation of the original 1929 and 1931
Schneider Trophy courses over the Solent, was also used and adapted from year to
year.
This sponsorship had a profound effect on the awareness and popularity of
handicapped air racing in the UK and further afield, as well as markedly
increasing DEC's commercial profile in the UK. The appeal of the race, its
historic connections, and the fact that prize money was now on offer, meant that
the entry list for the race was large enough to warrant the introduction of
heats from 1985 onwards. (The 1984 race field was 62 entrants, believed at the
time to be the largest-ever in all forms of air racing.)
The event received further boosts in 1986, when it was started by HRH Prince
Andrew and his then fiancée Sarah Ferguson; in 1987, when the event was featured
as one episode in a BBC television documentary series; and in 1988, when it was
a central part of that year's ITV Telethon Appeal.
DEC invited customers and partners to each year's event as guests, and the
general public watched in increasing numbers as the series grew in size and
popularity.
For the pilots taking part, the event became, along with the King's Cup Race,
the highlight of the UK's air racing season, and regularly attracted entrants
from continental Europe.
DEC continued to sponsor the races through 1991. Since that time, the race has
been run by the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association along with
the King's Cup and the British air racing championship. The venue has varied but
is still flown on most occasions around a Solent-based course, usually around
September of each year.
*