The Practical Value of the Schneider Cup
rpHE eleventh international contest for the trophy -L given by Jacques Schneider has just been won by a British pilot flying a British seaplane, and many people are now asking themselves what, if any, is the practical value of this competition. The rules of the race are under the control of an international body, and the trophy is awarded to the club which shall enter a seaplane that completes a given course in the shortest time, and yet proves to be thoroughly seaworthy.
There are always plenty of arguments forthcoming against the holding of such events, and the main ones in the present case are, first, the danger to human life, secondly, the diversion of the attention of engineers and designers from the production of standard models to that of " freak " types, and, thirdly, that the competition may conceivably lead to political trouble. either through national jealousy or because of such incidents as the threatened withdrawal of the Italian team when Great Britain was unable to accede to their request for the postponement of the date of this year's contest. The last objection is, of course, applicable to any competition in which nations take part, but it can at once be dismissed as unworthy of the age in which we live. Only one team can win each contest, and in no case have the losers grudged the victors their laurels.
Of course, there are always persons who can find better uses, generally in their own pet charities, for the money expended on such contests ; surely these persons can be ignored if it can be shown that there are results that justify the cost.
The clement of danger both to pilots and spectators is by far the most serious argument against the holding of such contests, where high speeds are involved ; and since it is fairly true to say that the higher the speed attempted the greater the risk, then the Schneider Trophy race is probably the most hazardous in the world. If this contest were purely a matter of sport, then it would be open to critics to attack those Governments and clubs which encourage and support an event of this nature ; the problem turns on whether the race constitutes a practical test, or whether it is a mere " stunt."
Fortunately, this year there have been no serious accidents in the race, or in the practice period on the Solent, but risks have to be faced, and sacrifices made, in every branch of progress, and there are always men and women willing to brave these for the good of the community.
An answer to the second objection to the race is also an answer to the other two, and if it can be shown from an impartial point of view that the world of aviation as a whole benefits as a result of the Schneider Trophy competition, then this competition justifies itself, apart from other considerations.
The task of the engineer who designs a racing machine has progressed beyond the stage of building the most powerful engine, and now lies in the production of a seaplane whose efficiency, both as regards aerodynamic factors and also the application of engine power, rises far beyond the standards which are associated even with the fastest fighting 'plane, and certainly far in advance of the design of our commercial aircraft.
The improvements and achievements of the race models are comparatively quickly applied to the ordinary aeroplane, and in this way the money, trouble, and energy spent on the construction of a few super-'planes are really spent for the benefit of the whole industry.
Here are a few figures taken from past races which prove this contention. In 1913 a power of 160 h.p. was required to achieve a speed of just over 45 miles an hour.
A year later 86 m.p.h. was reached with an engine of only 100 h.p. After the War, the races were resumed with a top speed of over 105 miles an hour, and to-day the claims made upon any ordinary passenger machine are in excess of this. Thus we find that former record speeds are things of everyday life after a period of only seven years has elapsed. This quick development becomes even more conspicuous when military aeroplanes are considered. The contests of 1925 resulted in a top speed of 233 miles an hour. This is a level which is already reached by all modern military aeroplanes. It must also be borne in mind that the super-'plane " Gloster Four," which had taken part in the race of 1927, was used this August in a demonstration of ordinary loopings, rollings, &e., after only a few alterations in its construction, which did not interfere with its speed.
From these examples it will be seen that the connexion between the record-breaker and the ordinary aeroplane is a very close one. Apart from the lesson which aero- plane builders learn with regard to power application, saving room and weight, they are also developing the outer form of the aeroplane to such a fine degree of perfection that it would seem now impossible to improve upon the latest achievements in this respect. As a direct result of this year's race, it is not a very bold prophecy to say that the aeroplane of the future will tend towards monoplane design (this was evident to a certain extent at the Olympia Exhibition as a result of the 1927 race), and that the old-fashioned, high resistance radiator will be replaced by cooling surfaces on the fuselage or the wings as on the Schneider 'planes. Many more technical details, which have been developed as a result of the stimulus given by the Schneider Trophy, although designed for the racer to-day will be applied to the com- mercial machine of to-morrow. This advance in design would never have taken place, or at least not in such a short space of time, if the designers had been left to experiment without an incentive of this sort to urge them to greater efforts : there would have been no call for pilots to take risks in subjecting the latest developments to strains and tests such as would never occur in ordinary flying (except after long periods of use, when a failure might mean loss of life to many people).
Let us not forget, too, that the country which is success- ful in the Schneider race ranks very high in the world of aviation, and that this is of very great value from the commercial point of view. If, therefore, the experience and developments resulting from this contest are applied for the benefit of aviation in general, then surely it justi- fies itself.
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