March 22, 2022 The Schneider Cup

The Liberty Gazette

March 22, 2022

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Among my favorite activities are flying seaplanes and air racing. There was a time, had I been in my prime a hundred years ago (and had I been male), I could have combined these two loves. Alas, not these days. The prestigious Schneider Cup Race of seaplanes shall remain an incredibly fascinating story in aviation history. 

To encourage development of seaplanes for commercial purposes, Frenchman Jacques P. Schneider thought it would be a great idea to dangle the race carrot for manufacturers in any country to compete for the title of best seaplane. Surely it would lead to inventions that would fuel his vision of the perfect type of commercial aircraft – one that could land on coasts, lakes, and rivers, with no need to spend money on airports. Incentives of money and national pride would fast-forward advancement.

Schneider Cup Trophy

They’d race against the clock (not against each other). The fastest average time would win. Schneider
promised cash and a trophy, and the country to win three consecutive races within five years would get to keep the trophy forever. 

The racecourse was a 31-mile triangle, which they had to fly around seven times. At first, Schneider made contestants fly 547 yards in contact with the sea before getting airborne. In later years, he made them park their planes in the water for six hours before the race, as a test of product integrity, and if a plane’s floats had any leaks, the unlucky pilot would have to fly with the water in it.

The first event was held April 16, 1913, in Monaco. While seven countries wanted to participate, only France had aircraft ready in time, and only one completed the full course. However, the pilot had water-taxied across the finish line rather than flying over it, disqualifying him. Schneider said either the second place (an American pilot) would be declared the winner, or the winning French pilot could re-fly that last lap, significantly slowing his average speed, but giving him the win. He took the offer, and the first Schneider trophy landed in France.

The following year, World War I started. Efforts that had gone into racing went instead into fighting. Britain’s Sopwith Camel was one of the Schneider racers converted to a wartime machine. After the war, the Brits and Italians were strong contenders until 1923, when the U.S. Army and Navy joined forces for the win in a Curtiss CR-3, average speed 177.279 mph. The Brits didn’t appreciate being beaten by state-sponsored racing.

The famous pilot and war hero Jimmy Doolittle won the race in a Curtiss R2C-2 (232.573 mph) in 1925. The following year, Mussolini declared Italy would win, at all costs. Mario de Bernardi was all too happy to deliver the news of his win. But Britain’s Supermarines settled it all with the fastest airplane in the world after three consecutive wins, 1927, 1929, and 1931. You can see the coveted trophy – clinched by an average speed of 340.08 mph – in person at the Science Museum in South Kensington, London. 

British Supermarine S.3B

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