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Supermarine S.4
The Supermarine S.4 was a 1920s British single-engined single-seat monoplane racing seaplane built by Supermarine to compete in the 1925 Schneider Trophy. It crashed and was destroyed before the competition started.
Contents
Design and development
The Supermarine S.4 was designed by Reginald Mitchell to compete for the 1925 Schneider Trophy race. Built by Supermarine at Woolston the S.4 was an all-wooden monoplane seaplane with an unbraced cantilever wing and monocoque fuselage, powered by one 680 hp (507 kW) Napier Lion VII engine. As a monoplane seaplane, it was in marked contrast with the biplane Supermarine Sea Lion flying boats which Mitchell had designed for previous Schneider Trophy races, which won in 1922 and came third behind the American Curtiss CR seaplanes in 1923.
Operational history
Registered G-EBLP,[1] it first flew on 24 August 1925.[2] On 13 September 1925 on Southampton Water it raised the world's seaplane speed record (and the British speed record) to 226.752 mph (365.071 km/h).[1][3]
It, together with two Gloster III biplanes, was shipped to the United States of America for the 1925 race, with high hopes of a British victory.[4] During trials at Bay Shore Park, Baltimore on 23 October 1925, piloted by H C Biard it was seen to sideslip into the water from 200 ft (61 m) and was wrecked.[5] Biard, who survived with two broken ribs, stated that he lost control following violent wing vibration.[6] The race was won two days later by Lieutenant James Doolittle, flying a Curtiss R3C at an average speed of 232.573 mph (374.443 km/h), faster than the S.4's world record of a month before.[7]
The side-slip instability of the S.4 is understandable, as wing dihedral of the airframe was minimal. Also, fin area was equally minimal. Therefore, the snap-roll at side-slip was perhaps inevitable in the light of modern knowledge.[citation needed] Other sources have suggested the accident was due to flutter, of which the vibration noted by Biard was a symptom.[7][8]
Popular culture
Very little film and photographic evidence of the S.4 survives, but five minutes of film are preserved within Leslie Howard's Spitfire/First of the Few starring himself and David Niven. Drawings, and construction film, as well as film of the first takeoff and flight are preserved within the feature film.
Specifications
Template:Aircraft specification
See also
Related development
See also
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References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jackson 1988, p. 317.
- ↑ Andrews and Morgan 1987, p. 175.
- ↑ Andrews and Morgan 1987, p. 178.
- ↑ Flight 24 September 1925, p. 609.
- ↑ Flight 12 November 1925, p. 747.
- ↑ Andrews and Morgan 1987, pp. 179–180.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Flight 29 October 1925, p. 703.
- ↑ Andrews and Morgan 1987, p. 180.
- Bibliography
- Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914, 2nd edition. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
- Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft since 1919. London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-818-6.
- "The 1925 Schneider Trophy Race". Flight (London), 29 October 1925, p. 703.
- "The 1925 Schneider Trophy Race: Flight Correspondent's Special Account". Flight (London), 12 November 1925, pp. 747–752.
- "The Schneider Cup Seaplane Race: British Representatives Leave on Saturday". Flight (London), 24 September 1925, pp. 609–614.
External links
Lists relating to aviation | |
|---|---|
| General | Timeline of aviation · Aircraft · Aircraft manufacturers · Aircraft engines · Aircraft engine manufacturers · Airports · Airlines |
| Military | Air forces · Aircraft weapons · Missiles · Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) · Experimental aircraft |
| Notable incidents and accidents | Military aviation · Airliners · General aviation · Famous aviation-related deaths |
| Records | Flight airspeed record · Flight distance record · Flight altitude record · Flight endurance record · Most produced aircraft |
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| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Supermarine S.4". |
