PlaneSpottingWorld welcomes all new members! Please gives your ideas at the Terminal.
Supermarine S.6B
The Supermarine S.6B was a racing seaplane developed by Reginald Mitchell for the Supermarine company in order to win the Schneider Trophy in 1931. It was the last in the line of racing seaplanes developed by Supermarine and followed the S.4, S.5 and the S.6.
Contents
Design and development
Despite previous British victories, in 1930, the Air Ministry directed by Prime Minister James Ramsay MacDonald stunned the Royal Aero Club, sponsors of the country's Schneider Trophy entries, with the announcement that no further government funding was to be offered. A public subscription of several million pounds resulted and after pressure by Lucy, Lady Houston and several newspapers, the British Government belatedly agreed to support the Royal Air Force's entry to defend the trophy. [1] There were only nine months to prepare and so Supermarine's designer, Reginald Mitchell, could only update the S.6 airframes that had won the trophy in 1929. An abortive attempt to address the high speed in alighting resulted in a proposal to convert the S.6 to a biplane configuration. This proposal did not proceed further than a "paper" project and was cancelled in the rush to redesign the earlier racer. The major improvement in performance was obtained when Rolls-Royce increased the power of the R-Type engine by 400 hp (298 kW) to 2,300 hp (1,715 kW).
The improved aircraft was called Supermarine S.6B.
Operational history
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, S.6A, N247, that won at Calshot in 1929, S.6A, N248, disqualified at Calshot in 1929, alongside the new and untested S.6Bs, S1595 and S1596.
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 training N247 was destroyed in a fatal takeoff accident, precluding any other plans with only the two S.6Bs and the surviving S.6 prepared for the final Schneider run.
The winning Schneider flight was piloted by Flt. Lt. John N. 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 often hailed as giving the impetus to the development of the Supermarine Spitfire and the Rolls Royce Merlin engine.[1]
Survivors
At the completion of the record flights, both S.6Bs were retired, with the Schneider Trophy winning S.6B S1595 donated to the Science Museum in London, where it currently resides in an unrestored state.[1]The fate of S1596 is unknown although Supermarine likely broke it up in the late 1930s.
Operators
Specifications (S.6B)
Data from Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 [2]
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)
- Wing area: 145 ft² (13.5 m²)
- Empty weight: 4,590 lb (2,082 kg)
- Loaded weight: 6,086 lb (2,760 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: lb (kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce R , 2,350 hp (1,753 kW)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 354 kn (407.5 mph, 655.8 km/h) (world speed record)
- Wing loading: 4.2 lb/ft² (205 kg/m²)
- Power/mass: 0.386 hp/lb (0.635 kW/kg)
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
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 |
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Winchester 2005, p. 238.
- ↑ Andrews and Morgan 1987, p. 192
- Bibliography
- Andrews, C.F. and E.B. Morgan. Supermarine Aircraft since 1914, 2nd edition. London: Putnam, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-800-3.
- McKinstry, Leo. Spitfire – Portrait of a Legend. London: John Murray, 2007. ISBN 0-71956-874-9.
- Price, Alfred. The Spitfire Story. London: Silverdale Books, 1995. ISBN 1-85605-702-X.
- Robertson, Bruce. Spitfire: Story of a Famous Fighter. London: Harleyford, 1962. ISBN 0-90043-511-9.
- Spick, Mike. Supermarine Spitfire. New York: Gallery Books, 1990. ISBN 0-8317-14034.
- Winchester, Jim. "Supermarine S.6B". Concept Aircraft: Prototypes, X-Planes and Experimental Aircraft. Kent, UK: Grange Books plc., 2005. ISBN 1-84013-309-2.
External links
- Air racing history
- RJ Mitchell. A life in aviation: 1931 Schneider Trophy, Cowes
- 16mm B&W Newsreel footage of 1931 Schneider Trophy
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 |
de:Supermarine S.6B it:Supermarine S.6B nl:Supermarine S.6B
| This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Supermarine S.6B". |
