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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0956.PDF
PLIGHT, SEPTEMBER 11, 1931 considerable amount of extra power out of the " R " engine. Of the results of the research which the French put into their preparations for the contest but little is known. Italy is said to have attempted to make a great and sensational step forward by placing two engines tandem and driving both propellers through gears and shafts (one shaft running through the centre of the other), both propellers running in opposite directions close together in front of the forward engine. The Schneider contest has in its time provoked many novel ideas, and we applaud attempts to develop novel ideas even when they do not result in winning the trophy. Flying would never have made progress if men had not indulged in orginality, and made attempts which could hardly command immediate success. Italy, as the country which brought the trophy back to Europe in 1926, and as the home of numerous original attempts to find new methods of increasing speed, has played a worthy part in the history of the Schneider. The third aspect of the Schneider contest is com- mercial. Every aircraft-building nation desires to sell its products abroad. That nation which has for the time held the Schneider trophy has always had a strong recommendation in the world's aircraft markets. One concrete case which well illustrates this is the history of the Curtiss D.12 engine which won the contest of 1923. It made such an impression on British constructors by reason of its small frontal area that the British rights were acquired by the Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd., the " Fox " aeroplane was specially designed for this engine, and an order for 30 of the engines was immediately placed with the Curtiss firm. This was perhaps an exceptional case. As a general rule the effects of a win in the Schneider are more indirect. Nevertheless, it is generally and rightly held that the nation which can. win the Schneider trophy possesses the best designers of the time. One more aspect of the Schneider contest may be mentioned. It is a test of ability in organisation and production. A nation cannot win unless its machines have been produced and tested by a certain date which has been fixed months before. This organisation implies the spending of a large sum of money. In 1927 and 1929 the British organisation could hardly have been bettered. This year the money was not forthcoming from the national ex- chequer, and for a time it appeared that Great Britain, the holder of the trophy, would be put to shame before the eyes of all nations. Fortunately, Great Britain is not wanting in public-spirited citizens, and this year one of them came to the rescue. All honour should be paid to Lady Houston, whose munificent gift of £100,000 has saved the credit of her country in the air. From that point on, we feel that we have nothing of which to be ashamed. The firms of Supermarine and Rolls-Royce did what they undertook to do within the very short time allowed to them, and a full week before the date of the contest our High-Speed Flight was in pos- session of three racing seaplanes which they believed would be good enough to hold the trophy for Great Britain. The seaplanes, it is true, are not an entirely new design. They are the development of an old one. But, had it not been for Lady Houston, the Italians and French might have sent over machines even still less modern, and one or the other might possibly have carried the trophy away across the English Channel. As things stand, our rivals have both had to con- fess that after two years of preparation they have not been able to produce machines by the appointed date which they think would have any chance of making a creditable show in a contest with the British machines. This is a great triumph of British design and pro- duction. We are well aware that we are writing before the contest has taken place, and we know only too well that accidents are possible. Still, we hardly think it credible that none of our three sea- planes will be able to complete the navigability tests and fly round the speed course on next Saturday. Even if that very unlikely event were to happen, it would still be true that neither of our challengers thought it worth while to attempt to redeem the gauge which she had cast down. On the other hand, if all goes well on Saturday, we shall justly be able to plume ourselves on the triumph of our designers. If all our three machines complete the course suc- cessfully, then we shall be able to say that in three successive Schneider contests only one British machine has been forced to land. The flying world could not fail to take note of such a record. At the moment of writing we are not aware of the instructions which are to be issued by the Schneider committee to the High-Speed Flight. The Air Ministry has stated that if the first machine which is sent off performs to the satisfaction of the com- mittee in the matter of speed, no other machine will start. The Schneider committee had still to consider and decide on that statement. By the time these words appear in print the decision will be known. We hope that all three machines will be sent round the course as a demonstration of the com- pleteness of our preparations made in a very short time. As a secondary consideration, that would provide a much more satisfactory spectacle to those who turn up to watch the flying. Naturally there will not be such large crowds as there would have been if either or both foreign teams had put in an appearance, but still a number of enthusiasts will be keen to see the high speed of the machines in the air. Three machines will make a better sight than one, even though that one may fly faster than man has ever travelled before. Supposing that the Schneider trophy will now remain permanently in Great Britain, and that the real victors this year are Mr. Mitchell and Mr. Row- ledge, our thoughts turn to those who have worked in the past to bring about this result. The Napier engine has won two contests, in 1922 and in 1927. The Gloster firm are the pioneers of high-speed work in Great Britain, and have scarcely received due credit for all the work they have done. High-speed flying dates from the appearance of the " Bamel," which, if it had been put on floats, might have saved the trophy for Great Britain against the American invasion of 1923. It is bad luck that no Gloster sea- plane has ever won. To all the pioneers the grateful thanks of the nation are undoubtedlv due. 894
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