https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_S.6B
The Supermarine S.6B is a British racing seaplane developed by R.J. Mitchell for
the Supermarine company to take part in the Schneider Trophy competition of
1931. The S.6B marked the culmination of Mitchell's quest to "perfect the design
of the racing seaplane" and represented the cutting edge of aerodynamic
technology.
The last in the line developed by Supermarine, it followed the S.4, S.5 and the
S.6. Mitchell and his team's experience in designing high speed Schneider Trophy
floatplanes greatly contributing to the development of the later Supermarine
Spitfire, an iconic fighter and Britain's most successful interceptor of World
War II.
Despite Prime Minister James Ramsay MacDonald's pledge of government support for
the next British race entrant immediately after the 1929 victory, official
funding was withdrawn less than two months later following the Wall Street
Crash, with the official reason given that the previous two contests had
collected sufficient data on high speed flight, so further expenditure of public
money was unwarranted. A committee formed by the Royal Aero Club, who were
responsible for organising the 1931 race, which included representatives from
the aircraft and aero engine industries, was formed to discuss the feasibility
of a privately funded entry but concluded that not only would this be beyond
their financial reach but that the lack of the highly skilled RAF pilots of the
High-Speed Flight would pose a severe problem. This caused enormous public
disappointment: having won two successive races a victory in a third race would
secure the trophy outright.
As ever active in aviation affairs, Lord Rothermere's Daily Mail group of
newspapers launched a public appeal for money and several thousand pounds were
its position and announced its support for an entry in January 1931, leaving
less than nine months to prepare any race entrant. The RAF High Speed Flight was
reformed, and Mitchell and Rolls-Royce set to work.
There were only seven months to prepare an entry, and as Mitchell did not have
enough time to design a new aircraft improved performance had to be obtained by
getting more power from the R-Type engine[5] Modifications to the airframe
design were limited to minor improvements and some strengthening in order to
cope with the increased weight of the aircraft. Additionally, the floats were
extended forward by some three feet (0.9 m). Rolls-Royce had managed to increase
the power of the engine by 400 hp (298 kW) to 2,300 hp (1,715 kW)
Role
Experimental aircraft, Racing seaplane
Manufacturer
Supermarine
Designer
R.J. Mitchell
First flight
1931
Introduction
1931
Primary user
Royal Air Force
Number built
2
Developed from
Supermarine S.6
Although the British team faced no competitors, the RAF High Speed Flight
brought six Supermarine Schneider racers to Calshot Spit on Southampton Water
for training and practice. The aircraft were: S.5 N219, second at Venice in
1927, S.5 N220, winner at Venice in 1927, two S.6s with new engines and
redesignated as S.6As (N247 that won at Calshot in 1929 and S.6A N248,
disqualified at Calshot in 1929), and the newly built S.6Bs, S1595 and S1596.[6]
The improved aircraft was designated the Supermarine S.6B to differentiate the
variant from the S.6A. The British plan for the Schneider contest was to have
S1595 fly the course alone and if its speed was not high enough, or it
encountered mechanical failure, then the more proven S.6A N248 would fly the
course. If both S1595 and N248 failed in their attempts, N247 held in reserve
would be used. The S.6B S1596 was then to attempt the world air speed record.
During practice, N247 was destroyed in a takeoff accident, resulting in the
death of the pilot, Lieut. G. L. Brinton, R.N.,[7] precluding any other plans
with only the two S.6Bs and the surviving S.6 prepared for the final Schneider
run.[6]
The winning Schneider flight was piloted by Flt. Lt. John Boothman in aircraft
serial number S1595 at a speed of 340.08 mph (547.19 km/h), flying seven perfect
laps of the triangular course over the Solent, between the Isle of Wight and the
British mainland. Seventeen days later, Flt Lt. George Stainforth in S.6B serial
S1596 broke the world air speed record, reaching 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h.
The S.6B is hailed as giving the impetus to the development of the Supermarine
Spitfire and the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine
Specifications (S.6B)
General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 28 ft 10 in (8.79 m)
Wingspan: 30 ft 0 in (9.14 m)
Height: 12 ft 3 in (3.73 m)
Empty weight: 4,590 lb (2,082 kg)
Loaded weight: 6,086 lb (2,760 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: lb (kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 354 kn (407.5 mph, 655.8 km/h) (world speed record)
Power/mass: 0.386 hp/lb (0.635 kW/kg)
See also[edit]
Related development
Supermarine S.4
Supermarine S.5
Supermarine S.6
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
Macchi M.C.72
Schneider Trophy aircraft
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