High Speed Flight RAF

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High Speed Flight
Active	1927-1931
Country	UK
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	special unit competing for the Schneider Trophy
Size	Flight
Base	RAF Calshot

The RAF High Speed Flight, sometimes known as 'The Flight' , was a small flight of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed for the purpose of competing in the Schneider Trophy contest for racing seaplanes during the 1920s.

The Flight was together only until the Trophy was won outright after which it was disbanded.

[edit] Background

In the Schneider Trophy race of 1926 both competing countries, Italy and the USA, had used military pilots. There had not been time to arrange a British team to compete. The British defeat of 1925 was held to be the result of technical inferirorty and lack of organisation.^[1] The Air Ministry financed a British team drawn from the RAF with the result that the High Speed Flight was formed at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment Felixstowe in preparation for the 1927 race. ^[2]

[edit] 1927

For the 1927 competition, six aircraft were from three manufacturers: a pair of Supermarine S.5s, three Gloster IVs and a single Short Crusader were taken to Venice. The Crusader was slower than others and was used for training until it was written off in a crash. The cause was later identified as a control rigging error, following re-assembly after the journey. ^[2]

The Supermarine S.5s came first and second, neither the Gloster nor the three Italian aircraft copleteing the race. As the winning nation, the UK would host the following event. This was the last annual competition, it then moving to a biannual schedule, allowing more development time.

[edit] 1928

The High Speed Flight was disbanded after the race. The Treasury agreed to fund the aircraft for the next event but the Air Ministry objected initially to the use of serving pilots. This was sorted out and the High Speed Flight reformed. In March 1928, Kinkhead made an attempt on the air speed record using a Supermarine S5. However at the approach to the start of the course, the aircraft plunged into the water, killing him.^[4]

[edit] 1929

The 1929 Trophy race was to be held at Cowes. With little money forthcoming from the Ministry aircraft and engine development had to be private ventures, with government money only being used to purchase the completed product.^[5] Rolls-Royce had now developed the supercharged R engine, giving Supermarine's designer Mitchell far more power for his new S.6 than the naturally-aspirated Napier Lion VIIB of the S.5. Gloster's first racing monoplane, the Gloster VI, had stayed with the Lion, but was also now supercharged as the Lion VIID.

S.6 N247 came first, piloted by Waghorn, with Atcherley and N248 disqualified for cutting inside a turn. The Gloster VI had been withdrawn before the race, but Stainforth used it to set a new speed record the following day.^[6] A record which soon fell in turn to one of the S.6s.

British team for Schneider Trophy race, 1929. from left to right Waghorn, Moon, Grieg, Orlebar, Stainforth and Atcherley

[edit] 1931

Supermarine S.6B

Under the rules of the Schneider Trophy, a third win would be an outright win in perpetuity. The official attitude after 1929 was summed up by the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, "We are going to do our level best to win again." ^[4]

By 1931 though, attitudes had changed again. The Cabinet vetoed RAF involvement and Government funding in a sporting event. Trenchard's view that there was no advantage as aircraft developmetn would continue whether the UK competed or not. ^[7] The public however had other ideas and backed the idea of a national team. A wealthy benefactor, shipping heiress Lady Lucy Houston, offered to pay £100,000 towards its cost. With the financial burden removed, the Government generously allowed the RAF to compete again.

The delay in funding had reduced the time available to prepare; the R engine was given 400 more hp to 2,300 hp and the S.6 strengthened to give the S.6B. The two previous S.6 were upgraded and renamed as S.6A.

In the event, the race itself was an anti-climax - no other countries entered a team. All that had to be done was for one of the aircraft from the flight to complete the course. The plan was thus to attempt to beat the previous race time with one of the S6.Bs, then to either go all-out for a new record attempt, or to use the S6.A to secure the Trophy. ^[7]

The first goal was met according to plan; Flight Lieutenant Boothman, won in S.6B S1595 at 340.08 mph, 12 mph faster than the 1929 time. ^[8]

Work then began on the record attempt, which suffered a setback when a minor accident led to S1596 sinking. As a result, both the race and the record were flown by S1595 (now in the Science Museum, London). The engines were swapped between this though, from the "reliable" race tune to the ultimate performance "sprint" engine and its special fuel. Flight Lieutenant Stainforth then achieved a record of 407.5 mph, the first person to travel faster than 400 mph; "the mark that matters", in the words of Ernest Hives.^[9] In comparison, land speed records didn't achieve this for 15 years, until after the Second World War and John Cobb's Railton Mobil Special.

British team for Schneider Trophy race 1931. From left to right, Hope, Brinton, Long, Stainforth, Orlebar, Boothman, Snaith and Dry

The Flight was wound up within weeks of the 1931 victory, it having served its purpose.^[8]

[edit] Aircraft operated

• 1927
  • Gloster I (training)
  • Gloster IVB
  • Supermarine S.5
  • Short Crusader
• 1929
  • Gloster VI
  • Supermarine S.6
• 1931
  • Supermarine S.6A
  • Supermarine S.6B

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

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