SCHNEIDER CUP.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 14 August 1929, Page 5

SCHNEIDER CUP.

AN EXPENSIVE TROPHY. BRITISH TEAM IN TRAINING. (Australian Press Association—United Service.) LONDON, Ang. 13.

The coming Schneider Cup air race is likely to be the last contest lor many years. The expense of organising a team is intolerable, as now lacing aero engines are subjected to such strain that their effective working life is only about five hours. It now costs £200,000 to build a series of superspeed machines and train expert pilots, hence the Governments are flinching over the task trance has already withdrawn, and it is doubtful whether the United States’ solitary entry wiil develop sufficient speed, so the real contestants are likely to be Britain and Italy. At Calshot, near Southampton, the team which will represent Great Britain has been training for some months, practising on Gloueester-Napier biplanes and the super-marine So machines' which won the race two years ago. Four new machines have been built by order of the Air Ministry, two Gloueester-Napier No. G monoplanes and two super-marine Rolls-Royce S 6 machines, and three of these will represent Great Britain in the race. The vital facts regarding the new machines are strictly guarded secrets. The first tests were made to-day with one super-marine S 6 machine. The pilot was Squadron-Leader Orlebar, who is in command of/ the high speed flight, as officers selected to compete ior the Schneider trophy are called. In his test<s Squadron-Leader Orlebar attained great speeds. No official indication was given of what lie had done, hut it was estimated that lie had approached 300 miles an hour. Experts who were watching were well satisfied with the demonstration. They declare that the Italian and American machines would have to have a good deal of reserve .speed to win hack the coveted iron by from Great Britain.