Race Results

Although this contest was open to civilian as well as service pilots of any nationality the races should be recorded because it was the Royal Air Force that, in 1931, having obtained a third successive victory, won the trophy outright for Great Britain. The trophy was given by Mr Jacques Schneider in 1913 to the Aero Club of France for any annual speed contest between seaplanes of any nationality. Each country could enter a maximum of three aircraft. The course had to be not less than 150 nautical miles.

The first contest was held in 1913 and the following are the complete results from that year to 1931:

1913. Held at Monaco, France. Won by Maurice Prévost of France in a Deperdussin monoplane with a 160hp Gnome engine at a speed of 45.75 mph (73.63 km/h. There were 4 contestants.

1914. Held at Monaco, France. Won by C Howard Pixton of Great Britain in a Sopwith aircraft with a 100hp Gnome engine at a speed of 86.8 mph (139.69 km/h). There were 9 contestants.

1919. This contest was held at Bournemouth, England, but Italy's victory was disallowed owing to infraction of rules. Speed attained was 124.89 mph (200.99 km/h).

1920. Held at Venice, Italy. Won by Cdr Luigi Bologna of Italy in a Savoia aeroplane with a 550hp Ansaldo engine at a speed of 106.7 mph (171.71 km/h).

1921. Held at Venice, Italy. Won by G de Briganti of Italy in a Macchi VII aeroplane with a 200hp Fraschini engine at a speed of 111 mph (178.63 km/h).

1922. Held at Naples, Italy. Won by Capt HC Biard of Great Britain in a Supermarine seaplane with a 456hp Napier engine at a speed of 145.7 mph (234.48 km/h).

1923. Held at Cowes, Isle of Wight. Won by Lt D Rittenhouse of USA in a Curtiss CR3 biplane with a Curtiss engine at a speed of 177.38 mph (285.45 km/h).

1924. British entry crashed during trials and Italian and American rivals withdrew by consent. No contest.

1925. Held at Baltimore, Md., USA. Won by Lt James H Doolittle of the USA in a Curtiss R3C2 biplane with a 620hp Curtiss engine, at a speed of 232.57 mph (374.28 km/h).

1926. Held at Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A. Won by Maj Mario de Bernardi of Italy in a Macchi monoplane with a 800hp Fiat engine at a speed of 248 mph (399.11 km/h).

1927. Held over the Solent. Won by Flt Lt Webster of Great Britain and the Royal Air Force in a Supermarine seaplane with a 860hp Napier engine at a speed of 281.68 mph (453.22 km/h).

1929. Held over the Solent. Won by Fg Off Waghorn of Great Britain and the Royal Air Force in a Supermarine seaplane with a 1,800hp Rolls-Royce engine, at a speed of 328.63 mph (528.77 km/h).

1931. Held over the Solent. Won by Flt Lt JN Boothman of Great Britain and the Royal Air Force in a Supermarine seaplane with a 2,300hp Rolls-Royce engine at a speed of 340.08 mph (547.19 km/h).

After the 1922 contest Great Britain was in danger of losing the Trophy to Italy, especially as no Government aid was forthcoming for an attempt preventing this. Mr Scott-Paine and Commander Biard of the Supermarine Company came to the rescue, however, and the Trophy was saved. In later years it was Lady Houston, giving of her money so generously, who enabled Great Britain to compete and eventually win.