Creation

Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931.

 

The Schneider trophy, “The Spirit of Flight kissing the waves”

Influence

It was meant to encourage technical advances in civil aviation but became a contest for pure speed with laps over a triangular course (initially 280 km, later 350 km).

The race was very significant in advancing aeroplane design, particularly in the fields of aerodynamics and engine design, and would show its results in the best fighters of WW2. The streamlined shape and the low drag, liquid-cooled engine pioneered by Schneider Trophy designs are obvious in the British Supermarine Spitfire, the American P-51 Mustang, and the Italian Macchi C.202 Folgore.

Since 1977 the trophy has been on display at the London science museum.

Rules

Races were supervised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale and the Aero Club in the hosting country. Each race was hosted by the previous winning country. Clubs could enter up to three competitors with an equal number of alternates.

If an aero club won three races in five years, they would retain the cup and the winning pilot would receive 75,000 francs.

After 1921, an additional requirement was added: the winning seaplane had to remain moored to a buoy for six hours without human intervention.

Events

The trophy was first competed for on April 16, 1913, at Monaco and won by a French Deperdussin at an average speed of 45.75 mph (73.62 km/h).

The Deperdussin, flown by M. Prevost (even after this slight problem!) won the first Schneider Trophy race at a speed of 45.75 mph.

The British won in 1914 with a Sopwith Tabloid flown by Howard Pixton at 86.6 mph (139.4 km/h).

The competition resumed in 1919 after the First World War at Bournemouth where in foggy conditions the Italian team won. They were later disqualified and the race was voided.

Bournemouth Seafront 1919

Supermarine Sea Lion flown by B.D. Hobbs, crashed after first lap.

1920 and 1921 Venice

So the contest returned to Venice in recognition of Italy’s gallant effort to win at Bournemouth. Alas the 1920 and 1921 contests were something of a failure due to lack of competition, and the Schneider Trophy remained with the Italians, one more win and they would keep the Trophy.

Seaplanes  at Venice 1920

The Macchi M.7 which won the 1921 race at an average speed of 117.9 mph.

Naples 1922

Once again the Royal Aero Club of Italy staged the next meeting, this time it was in Naples on 13th August. The only challenge came from the British in the form of the Supermarine Sea Lion II flown by Captain Henry Biard who stunned the Italians with some daring flying and succeeded in winning in an average speed of 145.7 mph.

Preparing the victor: the hull of the Supermarine Sea Lion and the Napier Lion engine ready for installation at the Supermarine works at Woolston. Far left Hubert Scott-Paine, centre the young R.J.Mitchell.

Cowes 1923

The 1923 event promised to be the best ever and attracted eight entries from Great Britain, France, and America. Italy was not represented due to the reluctance of their Government to fund a team. The three major teams seen outside Saunders hangers at Cowes.

The Americans fielded a very strong US Navy contingent of four machines two of which were of a new design. Meanwhile insufficient funding held back the endeavours of both the British and the French. The result was that on the 28th September over the Solent the new sleek Curtiss CR.3 streaked to an easy victory. The Curtiss was based on a proven landplane design powered by a new Curtiss D-12 engine of inovative configuration. This not withstanding, the team of pilots had trained for several months, specially for the event. Britain and France were totally outclassed and could not match the 177.38 mph winning speed achieved by Lieutenant David Ritterhouse USN. The effect of Government support was all too apparent.

Baltimore, U.S.A. 1925

The one year grace was very important to the British and Italian efforts. Before the 1925 contest held at Baltimore, USA, Britain developed two new designs, one from Supermarines and the other from the Gloster stable, whilst Italy -produced one new concept, the Macchi M.33. Certainly the British team sent across the Atlantic was the strongest ever fielded, even if it did have to contend with canvas tent preparations! R.J. Mitchell had couragously made his new design a twin float monoplane of mainly wooden construction. The Supermarine S.4 was extremely clean looking being unbraced. Meanwhile H.P. Folland had developed the Gloster III of more conventional design. Both aircraft were powered by the Napier Lion 700 hp engine and the Americans were visably worried when the S.4 arrived at Baltimore along with two Gloster IIIs. But the S.4 had untried performance. It was certainly fast, but during the elimination trials the pilot, Henri Biard, encountered the little known phenomenon of wing flutter. Sadly he was unable to regain control of his aircraft before impacting with the waters of Chesapeake Bay. Biard survived, but the S.4 challenge was finished.

Once again the Americans fielded a strong team; this time flying new Curtiss R3C-2 racers. The pilots had once more received rigorous preparation and one of their vivacious pilots, US Army Lieutenant James Doolittle had even made extensive test flights to investigate the effects of high accelarations on the human frame encountered during racing. Blacking out by the pilot was found not to be a major problem but more of a nuisance. The Americans were well prepared.

James H. Doolittle with the Curtiss R3C-2 which won at an average speed of 232.57 mph.

The man who was easy victor was an ex-boxer whose prowess as a pilot was already famous all across America : Lieutenant James H. Doolittle. At this time Doolittle was one of the leading test pilots of the United States. He had been sent by the Air Corps to study aeronautical engineering so as to be able to combine theory and practice in his research flying, and afterwards had made a special study of the effects of the force of gravity and of centrifugal force upon aircraft and pilot when subjected to sudden changes in speed. His report Accelerations in Flight, published in 1924, is an aeronautical classic. He had experimented repeatedly in a Fokker biplane, equipped with an accelerometer, to discover `how many g’ he could take. He had looped, rolled, dived, spun, and `flown in bumpy air’. He had purposely subjected himself to ‘ blacking out ‘, the temporary loss of sight that comes when centrifugal force deprives the eyes of their blood supply ; and in the more extreme manoeuvres, particularly in pulling out of dives, he reported he had experienced up to 7.8g. When urged towards caution he would remark drily, ‘ I calculate every risk I take ‘. Doolittle made good use of his knowledge, and one of the things the 1925 Schneider contest will always be remembered for was his masterly cornering. Doolittle did not seem to swing out on the turns. He cornered so accurately that he was round the pylon and away to the next without losing any distance at all. Here was someone who really knew what he was about. All who saw the performance were profoundly impressed.

In Britain the lessons of Baltimore were taken to heart, and Major J. S. Buchanan, of the Air Ministry, took a lead in pressing for a better organized effort before the next Schneider contest. Above all he insisted that the pilots must be properly trained. ‘ In America, high speed racing is a matter of Service training rather than sport,’ he wrote, in reporting the recent contest.

Henri Biard sets off for his ill-fated flight in the S4.

Hampton Roads, U.S.A. 1926

The ninth contest in 1926 was an important one for America. Could they win the Trophy outright? Yet, somehow, the Americans lost interst in the quest for speed and only made a few modicum changes to their previous team. Could the Europeans make up lost ground was the question. The British were unable to develop a new racer in time and so the contest at Hampton Roads, USA became a duel between Italy and America. The former worked day and night for just over nine months to develop Mario Castoldi’s new design from the drawing board,with the result that three scarlet Macchi M.39s opposed the black and gold Curtiss racers. This incredible achievement was not without sacrifice however as the Italian test pilot, Centurione, was killed during an early test flight of the M.39.

Americans put their hopes squarely on the shoulders of Lieutenant George Cuddihy USN in a Curtiss R3C-4. The contest was closely fought and provided plenty of excitement for the crowd of over 30,000 spectators. Cuddihy attacked the 189 nautical mile course while nursing a fuel problem, only to run out of `gas’ on the final lap, a mere miles from the finish. This allowed Major De Berdardi, who had overheating problems with his machine, to coast his Macchi over the line, averaging 246.5 mph for victory. American supremacy had been vanquished and the Trophy rescued from what seemed certain extinction. It is interesting to note that the seaplane speeds were by then approaching the world speed record set by a French Bernard landplane. A new stage in the history of the seaplane was about to be unveiled.

Major Mario Bernardi after completing the course at an average speed of 246.50 mph.

The 10th race was held at Venice 1927

The complexity of high speed seaplanes had increased enormously and at this point had reached the highest possible level. No-one knew what lay in wait for the unsuspecting seaplane pilot at the speeds the designer expected him to achieve. It was clear that a major national effort was required to form a competitive team for any subsequent contests. Fortunately the prestige of the contest was such that governments were indeed lured into sponsoring their aviation pioneers. But not so with the Americans and their efforts faded almost entirely.

Meanwhile in Britain there was an opposite reaction with a dedication to win having been engendered by the American victory in 1925. Such was the fervour that by the 1927 contest Britain was able to field its strongest team ever. Three new seaplane designs had been secretly developed using government funds and with extensive research support. The team consisted of six aircraft: two Supermarine S.5s, three Gloster IVs and one Short Crusader.

Quite by chance, the British Air Ministry found themselves with three constrasting designs: the monoplane S.5 and the biplane Gloster IV, both powered by a water cooled Napier Lion engine , and the monoplane Crusader with its air

cooled Bristol Mercury radial engine. By evaluating one against the other,some of the perennial arguments in high speed aircraft design could be resolved. Was a monoplane more efficient than a biplane? Could an air cooled engine be successful incorporated in a racing machine? Questions which were to be answered as the 1927 contest in Venice approached.

Reginald Mitchell made several major improvements on his S.4 design in creating the S.5. Whilst conservative, all important reliability was maintained by use of the well tried Lion engine. Folland for his part created the Gloster IV from experience gained with the Gloster III. The Crusader was built around its engine with extensive wind tunnel testing support.

Click on photo for full picture.

Mitchell’s contemporary S5 employed a duralumin semi-monocoque fuselage with integral empennage and its associated weight saving and low set braced wooden wings with copper surface radiators. Corrugated steel oil coolers were carried along the outside of the fuselage. The central portion of the starboard float comprised the main fuel tank.

The 1927 contest thus looked like a duel between Italy and Great Britain since the American interest had faded, Britain formed an RAF High Speed Flight to train its pilots as a counter to the wealth of experience in the Italian team. Both teams as usual had problems.

The Short Crusader was lost in a flying accident when the controls were rigged in reverse after shipment to Italy. The Macchi M.52 was dogged by engine problems, much to Castoldi’s disgust, but more serious was the loss of an Italian pilot, Lieutenant Borra, when his machine stalled and dived into Lake Varese.

On 25th September 1927, all the secrets were revealed before a crowd of 200,000 gathered to witness the spectacle from the Lido Beaches. Unfortunately for the Italians, none of their machines completed the 189 nautical mile course on this occasion, due to various engine problems. The two British S.5s,which had arrived in Italy so ill prepared some three weeks previous, outclassed the rest of the field totally. Both S.5s smoothly completed the course and thereby secured first and second places with Flight Lieutenant S.N. `Webby’ Webster RAF recording a winning speed of 281.65 mph.

“Worms Eye View” by N. Nash, great story from someone actually there in 1927

 

Calshot 1929, the last competitive race, read more.