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Aviation History
1923
1923 - 0571.PDF
SEPTEMBER 27, 1923 SCHNEIDER CUP SEAPLANE RACE Britain's Difficult Task AT 11 a.m. on Friday, September 28, the signal will be given for the first competitors to start in the International seaplane race for the Schneider Cup, at Cowes, Isle of Wight. This race, which has been won twice previously by British machines—last year at Naples by Captain Biard on a Supermarine " Sea Lion " with Napier " Lion " engine, and in 1914 at Monaco by Howard Pixton on a Sopwith seaplane with Gnome engine—is to be flown this year over a triangular course at Spithead, starting from Cowes and with turning points at Selsey Bill and Southsea. The total distance to be flown is 186 nautical miles = 214*3 land than 12 knots, fly a certain distance and alight again, after which the machines must be left moored at a buoy without attendance for six hours. If a machine has sprung a leak and begins to sink, or requires assistance from any cause whatever, so that a crew has to be sent on board, the machine will forfeit its right to fly in the race. The Competitors At the moment of writing it appears that the race, assuming all the machines will pass the navigability and mooring tests, will be flown by eight seaplanes—three American, three French, and two British. oooooooo Out for a test: The Supermarine "Sea Lion," Mark II, Napier " Lion " engine, one of the Schneider Cup defenders, taxi- ing down South- ampton Water preparatory t o making a test flight piloted by Capt. Biard, win- ner of the Schneider Cup Race at Naples last year. Q O O O O O O O O o miles, or approximately 345 kms., the course, which measures 42-86 land miles, having to be covered five times. The competitors will be started at 15 min. intervals, the representatives of each country starting together. The order of starting was to have been as follows : Italy, America, Great Britain and France. Now that the Italian repre- sentatives have scratched, presumably the American com- petitors will be started first, followed 15 mins. later by the British, who will in turn be followed by the French representatives. Today (Thursday) navigability trials, followed bv a six-hour mooring test, will be held, in which the competitors must taxy two distances of £ mile each.at a speed of not less OOOOOOOO The United States of America were originally represented by four machines, of which one was in reserve, as each country is only allowed three representatives. The accident to the Navy-Wright, to which reference is made elsewhere, will probably mean that the reserve American machine will take part in the race in place of the wrecked seaplane. Thus the American team will be composed as follows :— Pilot, Lieut. Irvine, U.S.N. ; machine, Curtiss-Navy Racer C.R.3 ; engine, 450 h.p. Curtiss D.12. Pilot, Lieut. Rittenhouse, U.S.N. ; machine, Curtiss- Navy Racer C.R.3 ; engine, 450 h.p. Curtiss D.12. Pilot, Lieut. Weade, U.S.N. ; machine. Navy T.R-3A ; engine, 300 h.p. Wright. O O Q 6 o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o Towing her out for a test : The Na vy-Curtiss, photographed off Cowes. Note the clean design. o o o o o o o 571
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