SCHNEIDER TROPHY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18850, 13 April 1931, Page 2

SCHNEIDER TROPHY.

BRITISH TEAM IN TRAINING. British Official Wireless RUGBY, April 9. Great Britain’s Schneider Trophy team of seven pilots is now assembled at Felixstowe under the command of Squadron-Leader A. H. Orlebar. The team has gone into strict training for the contest, which will take place over the Solent in September. The teams representing France and Italy will challenge Great Britain on this occasion, and are making secret preparations for the race. If Great Britain wins she will retain the trophy, having won it in 1927 and defended it successfully in the 1929 contest. The team chosen for the race has had a wide experience in high-speed aircraft flying. Squadron-Leader Oilebar holds the world’s speed record of about 358 miles an hour, and although no members of the team actually participated in the 1929 race, four of them were trained in readiness for the contest, and all are trained as highspeed pilots. The members of the team range about 30 years old, excepting FlyingOfficer Leech, who is only 22.

Other members of the team are Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth, who formerly was an officer in the Regular Army, and was a reserve pilot in 1929; Flight-Lieutenant Hope, and FlightLieutenant F. M. Long, both of whom have been stationed at Felixstowe for some time, and have had an opportunity of flying a high-speed machine; Lieutenant Brinton, who is the first member of the Fleet Air Arm to be a member of the racing team; FlightLieutenant J. M. Bootham, who has been carrying on special high-speed research work on the 1929 Schneider Cup machines during the past year; and Flying-Officer Snaith, who went to Felixstowe as a seaplane test pilot, where he has had a wide high-speed experience.

During the training at Felixstowe, to be followed in about two months’ time by a special course at Olshot on Southampton Water, the team will at first fly Fairey Fly-Catchers and Fairey Firefly machines, which have a speed of over 200 miles an hour. These machines will also be used in the preliminary stages. Other machines available will be the Supermarine Napier 5, which won the 1927 race; the Glor-ter-Napier 4, and the Supermarine Rolls-Royce S 6 machines, which have been modified since the 1929 race was won with one of them.

Secrecy is being observed regarding two other machines, which are now under construction. The speeds of these machines is also kept a secret, but the possibility of about 400 miles per hour being reached “on the flat” is confidently discussed. The last Schneider Cup race raised the speed for the race from 281 to 329 miles per hour, and Squadron-Leader Orlebar’s world’s record raised the flat speed on the previous record from 319 to 358 miles per hour.