SCHNEIDER CUP

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 74, 24 September 1927, Page 9

SCHNEIDER CUP

TO-MORROW'S AIR RACE

BRITISH SEAPLANES MARVELS OF DESIGN The Schneider Cup race, which is to take place near to Venice to-morrow, is one of the very greatest importance to those interested in tho subject of aerial flight. It has now become largely .an affair of Governments, in which respect it is unique in the field of sport. This will be the first time for Breat Britain to be represented by Service officers, but "in the last three Schneider Trophy races tho United States entry has consisted of Serviceowned aircraft piloted by Service airmen. Not only does victory confer prestige on the aircraft design of the winning country, but the contest serves.the purpose of provoking special research in the development of high-speed aircraft. To this end the Air Ministry placed orders for three different types of widely different design, and also established a high-speed development 'flight" at Felixstowo to study piloting problems. The three British types are tho Supormarine Napier S5, the Gloster Napier IV., and the Short Bristol "Crusader." The two first-named are taking part in tho race, but it is hardly likely that the "Crusader" will be doing bo as cabled advico a woek or so ago was to the effect that it had crashed, causing injury to tho pilot, Flying-Officer H. M. Sehofield.

Two more beautiful airplanes than the Supermarino Napier 85 and the Gloster Napier IV. have never been produced. Thoy might havo been concoived l>y a supromo artist intent on depicting potential speed, and it is remarkable that in this case craft which embody the results of years of research and of highly specialised applied science, and which are triumphs of engineering, should appear so strongly to the eye. The first-named is a monoplane, the other a biplane. Both are fitted with the most highly-developed Napier engine, which ,gives out tremendous power

for its woight, ana is a conspicuous departure from the standard Servico Napier engine in that its frontal area has been substantially reduced; so much so, indeod, that the dimensions of the pilot play quite as large a part in determining tho girth of tho fuselage. Tho ongino has twolve cylinders, disposed fanwise in threo blocks of four cylinders each. For this race tho- engine is gcarod, enabling a slowor running airscrew to bo used, this increasing tho efficiency. , NOVEL. DEVICES. Tho monoplane is a gracoful craft in silver and royal blue, and ombodies some remarkable features. Tho radiators, which are in tho wings and form

part of the wings, expose a smooth surface, the corrugations being the unseen inner surface. This ensures a great reduction of the "skin friction" which at high speeds constitutes hampering parasitic resistance. A curious feature is the disposal of the petrol tanks in the starboard float, from which the fuel is conveyed to the engine by an enginedrivenjnimp. The object of this is the counteraction of engine torque. Engine torque expresses itself in a tendency of the airplane to turn over in the opposite direction to that of the propeller's rotation, and this arrangement is a way of correcting this tendency now fo rthe first time introduced.

The fuselage is entirely in metal, the skin taking practically all the stresses. The engine mounting consists of a caliti-

levered extension to the fuselage, the skin of the mounting taking all the engine loads. The floats are of duralumin, being anodically treated to resist sea-water corrosion. The wing is built of wood and is covered with special laminated wood underneath the radiators. The oil is cooled by passing it along both sides of the fuselage in contact with tho skin through spceiallyconstructed oil coolers.

The Gloster Napier IV. is a biplane, and affords a marked contrast to the monoplane in many features. Its colour is bronze and sky bluo, tho floats being of duralumin not artificially coloured. It is a much cleaner design than its forerunners. The radiators are made part of the wing surface of the top and bottom planes, and their bright

coppor gives tho improssion that tho ontiro machine is of metal. Tho wings, howovor, aro of the multispar type, and are entirely covered with laminated spruce, and the fusolago is of laminated spruce, built as a monocoquo, and carrying a welded stool tubing ongino mounting. Tail piano and fins are built intogrul with tho fusolagc. The interpiano struts, which aro beautifully formed, aro duralumin forgings. Tho floilts nro of Gloßtor design and construction in duralumin. Tho propeller is of the detachable blado typo, tho blados being machined to their correct pitch and contour from a solid duralumin forging by a special machine, no bonding of the blades being necessary!

Like tho Supermarino, the Gloster types navo a notable history in Schneider and other contests. THE TEAM AT VENICE. Sis high-speed seaplanes hare beon DlUlt, and have been taken to Venice three Supermarine Napier S s's, two Gloster-Napier IV's, and the Short Bristol "Crusader," which is unfortunately out of action owing to accident. A decision as to which three machines will fly in the race was not to be taken until the merits of the respective aircraft had been thoroughly tested under Italian climatic conditions. The British team is under the command of Air Vice-Marshal P. B. Scarlett, C.8., D.5.0.( Air Officer Commanding Coastal Area. Two representatives of tho Boyal Aero Club, LieutColonel Mervyn O'Go'rman, C.8., and -Ueut.-Commander H. E. Perrin, will be at Venice, also Major J. S. Buchanan, of the Air Ministry, and these, together with representatives of the aircraft and engine firms, will form an advisory committee working under Air Vice-Marshal Scarlett, under whom will be six Boyal Air Force officers and twenty-seven .Boyal Air Force mechanics. The flying members of the team are: Squadron Leader L. H. Blatter, 0J8.E,. D.S.C.. D.F.C. • Flight-Lieut. S. M. Kinkead, D.5.0., D.S.C., D.F.O. Flight-Lieut. S. N. Webster, A.F.C. Flight-Lieut. O. E. "Worsley. Flying Officer H. M. Schofield (who, it is understood, will not now be taking part owing to injury to his eyes). 1 lying Officer T. H. Moon will be tho Technical Officer.The racing pilots have familiarised themselves with the,course by flying over it on a number of occasions in a seaplane. The course is one of seven circuits of a twenty-seven miles triangle, so that many turnings are involved; two of the turning points are acute angles, the whole covering 350 kilometres (188.86 nautical miles). The six seaplanes were taken to Malta, where they were placed on board H.M. aircraft carrier, Eagle, from which vessel a number of trials have been made. Tho Eagle has since arrived at Venice with the seaplanes aboard, and was accompanied by four destroyers. PREVIOUS WINKERS. - Previous contests tot ,the trophy were:— IDl3—France: M. Provost on a Deper-dussin-Gnome, at an average speed of 40 m.p.h. 1914—Britain: Mr. C. H. Pixton on a Sopwith-Gnome, 75 m.p.h. 1920—Italy: Lieut. Bologna on a Sa-voia-Ansaldo, 500 h.p., SO m.p.h. 1921—Italy: Do Briganti on a Macehi Isotta-Fraschini, 200 h.p., 118 m.p.h. , 1922—Britain: Captain Biard on a Sup-craarine-Napier, 450 h.p., 141 m.p.h. 1923—United States: Lieut. Bittenhousc on a Curtiss, 465 h.p., 177^ m.p.h. 1924— Bace declared void.

1925—United States: Lieut. J. Doolittle on a Curtis 510 h.p., 232 i m.p.h. 192 C—ltaly: Major Marco de Bernardi on a Macclii, 520 h.p. Fiat, 246.4 m.p.h.

The trophy is an objet dart valued at 25,000 francs. There is no longer any monoy prize, but entry fees aro shared by the first three. It is certain that this year's winning speed will be greater than last year's but since the maximum speed of any airplane is not averaged on a course in which there aro sharp turns, it is not likely that the speed wiU bo anything liko 300 miles por hour. Last year's Italian winner did 240.4 m.p.h., and it is not unlikely that this year tho winner will make a good deal more than 2G5 m.p.h.