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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0688.PDF
OCTOBER 22, 1925 THE SCHNEIDER CUP RACE Saturday's Great Contest ON Saturday of this week the race for the Jacques SchneiderMaritime Trophy will be flown at Bay Shore, near Baltimore, Maryland, and representatives of three nations will competefor supremacy. These are the United States of America (the present holders of the cup), Italy and Great Britain.The United States will be represented by two and possibly three defenders, while Italy has sent two challengers, andGreat Britain also two. Actually Great Britain has sent four machines, but as only two were officially entered bythe time the entries list closed, this number only will be permitted to compete. At the time the entries were madethere seemed to be little likelihood of more than two machines being built in time to take part in the race, and, consequently,the mistake was made of entering two machines only. History of the Schneider Cup The Schneider Cup for seaplanes, presented by MonsieurJacques Schneider, a member of the famous French armament firm, was first competed for in 1913, when it was won bythe French pilot, Prevost, who was flying a Deperdussin monoplane. The course was one of a 150 nautical miles(278 kms.) or 172-83 land miles, and Prevost covered the total course in 3 hrs. 48 mins. 22 sees., at the average speedof 72-6 kms. (45-75 m.p.h.). In 1914 the race was again held at Monaco, over a distanceof 280 kms., and was won by the British pilot, Howard Pixton, on a Sopwith biplane with 100 h.p. Gnome Mono-soupape engine, the flying time being 2 hrs. 0 mins. 13f sees. This corresponded to an average speed of 139-7 kms./hr.(86-8 m.p.h.). Owing to the War, 1914-18, the Schneider Cup race wassuspended until 1919, when, a British pilot having last won it, the Schneider Cup race was organised by the Royal AeroClub of Great Britain, and held at Bournemouth. Foggy weather compelled most of the competitors (France, Italyand Great Britain were represented) to abandon the race, but the Italian pilot, Janello, who was flying a Savoiabiplane flying-boat, flew the prescribed number of circuits, but he was not observed from one of the mark boats, andafter considerable controversy the contest was annulled. In 1920 the Schneider Cup race was, by way of complimentto the fine determination of Janello in the previous year's race, handed over to the Aero Club of Italy to organise,and was held at Venice. For that year's race no British machine had been built, and the only foreign challengerswere entered by France. The race was won by the Italian pilot, Luigi Bologna, who was flying a Savoia flying-boat.The distance was one of 375 kms., and the time taken by Bologna was 2 hrs. 10 mins. 35 sees., corresponding to anaverage speed of 172-3 kms./hr. (107 m.p.h.). The 1921 Schneider Cup race was again held at Venice,and was over a distance of 370-4 kms. It was won by the Italian pilot, de Briganti, on a Macchi flying-boat, histime for the distance being 2 hrs. 4 mins. 29 sees., corre- sponding to an average speed of 178-5 kms./hr. (Ill m.p.h.).No British machine competed in this event. It being one of the conditions of the Schneider Cup contestthat the cup has to be won three years in succession to become the property of the winner, the 1922 race caused very con-siderable interest, since, should it be won by Italy for the third time, it would remain the property of that nationand would mean the end of the Schneider Cup contests. In a most commendable sporting spirit the SupermarineAviation Works of Southampton built for that race, entirely unassisted by the Government, a biplane flying-boat fittedwith Napier " Lion " engine. The machine took part in the 1922 Schneider Cup rape, and, not merely won the race,but won it at a speed which was 34-7 m.p.h. faster than the average speed of the previous year's winner. The Super-marine flying-boat, which was piloted by Capt. H. C. Biard, covered the distance of 370-77 kms. in 1 hr. 34 mins. 51f sees.,or at an average speed of 234-516 kms./hr. (145-7 m.p.h.). Capt. Biard's magnificent win at Naples in 1922 resulted inthe cup being brought to England, and the 1923 Schneider Cup race being held at Cowes. For the 1923 race, challengers had been entered by Franceas well as by the United States. The course was one of 345 kms. and was won by the American aviator, Lieut.David Rittenhouse on a Curtiss-Navy racer with Curtiss D.12 engine, at an average speed of 177-38 m.p.h., whichrepresented the magnificent increase of 31-68 m.p.h. over Biard's speed for the previous year.' Again the Supermarine Aviation Works had entered a defender, but as funds did not allow of producing an entirely novel design, the machine was quite outclassed by the American challengers, who carried off the cup with ease. The American victory in 1923 resulted in the 1924 Schneider Cup race being trans- ferred to the United States. As, however, no foreign challengers presented themselves, the Americans, with admirable sportsmanship, declared "No race " rather than walking away with the cup, which they had every right to do owing to the absence of challengers. This action on the part of the Americans was one of the finest gestures of real good sportsmanship in the whole history of aviation, and was greatly appreciated in this country, since, if the Americans had claimed a " walk-over " (which they had every right to do), Great Britain's chances of winning the cup would have been considerably diminished. The 1925 Schneider Cup Race The race for the 1925 Schneider Cup is to be held at Balti- more on Saturday next, October 24, the actual Schneider Cup course being situated at Bay Shore, some 14 miles out of Baltimore. The location of the course is shown on the fol- lowing map and, unless a gale is blowing on the day of the race, or on the preceding day when navigability and water- tightness tests have to be carried out, the triangle over Chesapeake Bay should be fairly sheltered, as it is land-locked on three sides. The total distance to be covered is 350 kms. (217-5 miles). The actual course is, as already mentioned, a triangular one, and measures 50 kms., so that competitors will have to make seven laps of the course. As has previously been pointed out in FLIGHT, the question of cornering will play a very considerable part in the race, since each leg of the course is so short that almost as soon as the engines have been opened out after rounding one turning point, they will have to be throttled down again before making the next turn. It is unlikely that machines will be able to ta ke the corners at full speed, as the physical effect on the pilots will be considerable and, therefore, the speeds established round the course will probably fall very far short of the actual top speeds of which the machines are capable. The organisation of this year's race will be in the hands of the American National Aeronautic Association, which is the American equivalent of our Royal Aero Club, and will repre- sent the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, both in the actual races and in any attempts at new records which may be made after the race. The local sporting body which will assist the National Aeronautic Association will be the Flying Club of Baltimore. As previously mentioned, the day before the race, navigability and watertightness tests have to be carried out, in the course of which the machines must take off from the starting line, take the air, alight again and taxi between two buoys at a speed of over 12 m.p.h., take off, land, taxi one-half mile between a second set of buoys, then take off for the third time, land, and taxi over the finishing line. Having completed the navigability tests the machines must then, without being touched or repaired in any way, be moored out for six hours with no one on board. Should a float be damaged in the navigability tests, so that a machine has to be touched or beached in order to prevent it from sinking before the end of the six hours, the machine will not be allowed to compete in the race. These conditions in the Schneider Cup Race are, of course, designed with a view to preventing freaks which are neither sea- nor air-worthy being entered in the race, and also to ensure, as far as possible, that machines should have a reasonable amount of practical value. On October 24, the programme of events will be as follows :— At 1 p.m. proceedings will be opened with a naval air demon- stration, which will include the laying of smoke screens and curtains by aircraft, aerial acrobatics and fighting, formation flying, torpedo and bomb dropping. At 2-30 p.m. the famous Schneider Cup race, which is the international marine flying classic of the world, will commence, and as the machines should complete the course in somewhat less than an hour, the result of the race should be known in this country on Saturday evening, allowing for the difference in time between London and Baltimore. Competitors will be started at five-minute intervals, and the order of starting will be as follows :— 1, Great Britain (Capt. H. C. Biard) : 2, United States (Doo- little) ; 3, Great Britain (Capt. H. S. Broad) ; 4, United States (Cuddihy) ; 5, United States (Ofstie) ; 6, Italy ; 688
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