Supermarine S.4
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The Supermarine S.4 was a 1920s British single-engined 
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
 built by 
Supermarine Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that is most famous for producing the Supermarine Spitfire, Spitfire fighter plane during World War II as well as a range of seaplanes and flying boats, and a series of Jet engine, jet-powered figh ...
. Designed by a team led by the company's chief designer,  R. J. Mitchell, it was built to race in the 1925 
Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying ...
contest. Mitchell's design was revolutionary. Aware of the need to reduce  drag forces to increase speed, he produced a 
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
that was in marked contrast to the 
flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
s he had designed. Built of wood, and with an unbraced 
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
 wing, it was powered by a 
Napier Lion The Napier Lion is a 12-cylinder, petrol-fueled 'broad arrow' W12 configuration aircraft engine built by D. Napier & Son from 1917 until the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day and kept it in produ ...
engine developed to produce over a short racing period. The S.4 was aerodynamic and  aesthetically pleasing, but the cockpit position was potentially hazardous, as it restricted the pilot's view. Less than a month after its maiden flight on 24 August 1925, it raised the world's seaplane speed record to . At Bay Shore Park in
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in the US, the venue of the 1925 contest, the S.4's rear end was damaged by a falling pole during a gale prior to the event. During navigation trials on 23 October, the repaired aircraft was observed to be performing well, but then—for reasons that have not been fully explained—it went out of control, and was destroyed when it dived into the sea from , injuring the pilot,
Henri Biard Henri Biard was the director of the Direction de la surveillance du territoire (DST), the French counterintelligence and domestic intelligence service from 1972 to 1974. Biard ordered DST agents to illegally wiretap the offices of Le Canard enchaà ...
. Mitchell used the practical experience gained from his work on the S.4 when he designed its immediate successor, the  Supermarine S.5.


Design and development

During 1925,
Supermarine Supermarine was a British aircraft manufacturer that is most famous for producing the Supermarine Spitfire, Spitfire fighter plane during World War II as well as a range of seaplanes and flying boats, and a series of Jet engine, jet-powered figh ...
's chief designer, R. J. Mitchell, was working on a new aircraft to compete in that year's
Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying ...
race. The decision to begin the design process was made jointly by Napier and Supermarine on 18 March 1925. Following the success of the Americans during the previous contest, Mitchell was fully aware of the need to reduce drag forces to increase speed. His new design was for a mid-wing,
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
. It was comparable to a French monoplane, the Bernard SIMB V.2, which had broken the
flight airspeed record An air speed record is the highest airspeed attained by an aircraft of a particular class. The rules for all official aviation records are defined by Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI), which also ratifies any claims. Speed records ...
in December 1924. The new design was in marked contrast to the
flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
s which Mitchell had designed for previous Schneider Trophy races, which had won in 1922 and come third behind the American
Curtiss CR The Curtiss CR was a racing aircraft designed for the United States Navy in 1921 by Curtiss. It was a conventional single-seater biplane with a monocoque fuselage and staggered single-bay wings of equal span braced with N-struts. Two essentially ...
seaplanes in 1923. The name ''S.4'' was designated by Mitchell, with "S" standing for ''Schneider''. He saw the three previous Schneider Trophy entrants (the Supermarine Sea Lion series) as S.1, S.2, and S.3. The S.4 was the first Schneider Trophy entrant to be supported by the British government, who agreed to buy the aircraft if Supermarine and Napier covered the initial costs of development and construction. The
Air Ministry The Air Ministry was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom with the responsibility of managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force, that existed from 1918 to 1964. It was under the political authority of the Secretary of State ...
provided the British teams with greater freedom than was given by the US government to their designers. The S.4 was a
monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
seaplane with an unbraced
cantilever A cantilever is a rigid structural element that extends horizontally and is supported at only one end. Typically it extends from a flat vertical surface such as a wall, to which it must be firmly attached. Like other structural elements, a canti ...
wing and semi-
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
, powered by a specially developed version of the
Napier Lion The Napier Lion is a 12-cylinder, petrol-fueled 'broad arrow' W12 configuration aircraft engine built by D. Napier & Son from 1917 until the 1930s. A number of advanced features made it the most powerful engine of its day and kept it in produ ...
, a water-cooled engine developed to produce over a short racing period. The aircraft was primarily constructed from wood: the single-piece unbraced wing had two
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s with
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flanges and plywood webs, and was covered with plywood braced by stringers. The fuselage had a covering of diagonally-laid spruce planking over plywood formers constructed around a pair of steel
A-frame An A-frame is a basic structure designed to bear a load in a lightweight economical manner. The simplest form of an A-frame is two similarly sized beams, arranged in an angle of 45 degrees or less, attached at the top, like an uppercase lett ...
s, to which the engine bearers and wing spars were attached and which carried the floats. The single-step floats were metal. The S.4 lacked the newly-designed surface radiators, at that time still unavailable, but it was aerodynamic and aesthetically pleasing. The radiators, which were mounted under the wings, were the only part of the machine to extend from the fuselage. In September 1925, ''
Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...
'' reported:


Operational history

Allocated the civil registration ''G-EBLP'' and the Air Ministry
serial number A serial number is a unique identifier assigned incrementally or sequentially to an item, to ''uniquely'' identify it. Serial numbers need not be strictly numerical. They may contain letters and other typographical symbols, or may consist enti ...
''N197'', the S.4 first flew on 24 August 1925, witnessed by Mitchell, who went out in a
motorboat A motorboat, speedboat or powerboat is a boat that is exclusively powered by an engine. Some motorboats are fitted with inboard engines, others have an outboard motor installed on the rear, containing the internal combustion engine, the gea ...
with
Lord Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...
. Testing took place at
Calshot Calshot is a coastal village in Hampshire, England at the west corner of Southampton Water where it joins the Solent.OS Explorer Map, New Forest, Scale: 1:25 000.Publisher: Ordnance Survey B4 edition (2013). History In 1539, Henry VIII order ...
, because of the long take-off runs that were required. Supermarine's chief test pilot
Henri Biard Henri Biard was the director of the Direction de la surveillance du territoire (DST), the French counterintelligence and domestic intelligence service from 1972 to 1974. Biard ordered DST agents to illegally wiretap the offices of Le Canard enchaà ...
was reportedly unhappy with the S.4, disliking the unbraced wings, and the cockpit position, which was well back behind the wings. The location of the cockpit was potentially hazardous, as it restricted the pilot's view ahead, particularly during take-off and landing. On its maiden flight, the S.4 came close to colliding with an
ocean liner An ocean liner is a passenger ship primarily used as a form of transportation across seas or oceans. Ocean liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes (such as for pleasure cruises or as hospital ships). Ca ...
because of this problem. On 13 September 1925, on a straight course over
Southampton Water Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed wes ...
, the S.4 raised the world's seaplane speed record (and the British speed record) to , which created a sensation in the
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when it was announced a month later. By 1926, improvements to the aircraft's exterior had enabled its maximum speed to increase to .


Schneider Trophy competition of 1925

With high hopes of a British victory in the forthcoming Schneider Trophy competition at Bay Shore Park,
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, the S.4, together with two
Gloster III The Gloster III was a British racing floatplane of the 1920s intended to compete for the Schneider Trophy air race. A single-engined, single-seat biplane, two were built, with one finishing second in the 1925 race. Design and development In 19 ...
biplanes, was shipped to the US aboard the SS ''Minnewaska'', free of charge. During the voyage, Supermarine's pilot Biard slipped playing
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
, and injured his wrist. Bad weather meant that those Schneider Trophy competitors that had already arrived for the competition had little opportunity to practise the course. The aircraft were forced to remain in their crates whilst canvas
hangars A hangar is a building or structure designed to hold aircraft or spacecraft. Hangars are built of metal, wood, or concrete. The word ''hangar'' comes from Middle French ''hanghart'' ("enclosure near a house"), of Germanic origin, from Frankish ...
were being erected on the beach to accommodate them. During this period, Biard caught
influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
, but recovered in time to take part in the competition. The windy conditions had however blown down the hangar where the S.4 was being kept, and the rear end of the aircraft had been damaged by a falling pole. The S.4 was repaired in time to take part in the navigation trials on 23 October 1925. During the navigation trials, the S.4 initially performed well, but upon its return to shore, the
control column A yoke, alternatively known as a control wheel or a control column, is a device used for piloting some fixed-wing aircraft.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 563. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...
began to oscillate violently and Biard lost control of the machine at high speed. The S.4 was seen to stall, before falling flat into the sea from . Biard, who initially had lost consciousness when he was still strapped into the aeroplane, was able to resurface from the sea bed, and cling on to some floating wreckage. The first launch sent out to him broke down with engine trouble, and he had to be rescued by a second launch. Mitchell, who was on board the launch, jokingly asked the injured man: "Is the water warm?" Biard was later found to have broken two ribs. Parts of the aircraft, which was wrecked as a result of the crash, were salvaged. Most sources have suggested the accident was due to flutter, but although an enquiry was later held, the reasons for the crash were never clearly established.


Aftermath of the crash

The race was won two days later by
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James Doolittle, flying a
Curtiss R3C The Curtiss R3C is an American racing aircraft built in landplane and floatplane form. It was a single-seat biplane built by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. The R3C-1Also given the "paper" designation F3C as fighters in the US Navy desig ...
at an average speed of 232.573 mph (374.443 km/h), which was faster than the S.4's world record of a month before. It was evident to the other national teams that the American approach towards the contest, which involved training for the pilots and development testing of the aircraft—was required. Mitchell was to say as much when he gave a lecture to the
Royal Aeronautical Society The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows ...
in 1927. From 1925 onwards, the Air Ministry developed a policy of producing high speed aircraft and using
wind tunnel Wind tunnels are large tubes with air blowing through them which are used to replicate the interaction between air and an object flying through the air or moving along the ground. Researchers use wind tunnels to learn more about how an aircraft ...
tests to analyse their performance.


Legacy

The Supermarine S.4 was a revolutionary aircraft that was years ahead of its time, and which "set the pattern in specific aircraft design that persisted through the 930s and 1940s. The winning aircraft of the 1926 Schneider contest, the Italian
Macchi M.39 The Macchi M.39 was a racing seaplane designed and built by the Italian aircraft company Aeronautica Macchi in 1925–26. An M.39 piloted by Major Mario de Bernardi (1893–1959) won the 1926 Schneider Trophy, and the type also set world speed ...
, bore distinct similarities with the S.4. Mitchell used the practical experience gained when he designed its successor, the Supermarine S.5. The S.4 has been described as "his first outstanding success". The S.5 was made to be more stable in the air. It was made to be lighter, with a smaller fuselage
cross section Cross section may refer to: * Cross section (geometry) ** Cross-sectional views in architecture & engineering 3D *Cross section (geology) * Cross section (electronics) * Radar cross section, measure of detectability * Cross section (physics) **Abs ...
, and have more streamlined floats, modifications which provided it with estimated increases in speed over its predecessor. The greatest speed increase——was produced by the introduction of surface radiators to cool the engine, as they notably reduced the drag forces acting on the aircraft. Tests made on a model of the S.4 at the National Physics Laboratory, that were done after the crash, revealed that the Lamblin radiators accounted for a third of the aircraft's drag, and that without them, the S.4 would have been the " cleanest" monoplane in the world. Drawings and archival footage of the plane's construction, and five minutes of film that show the aircraft's first takeoff and flight are preserved in
Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' and was one ...
's biographical film about Mitchell, ''
The First of the Few ''The First of the Few'' (US title ''Spitfire'') is a 1942 British black-and-white biographical film produced and directed by Leslie Howard, who stars as R. J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft. David Niven co ...
'' (1942).


Specifications


See also


Notes


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * * *


External links


''Will England Win it?''
an
''Britain's Fine Bid for Schneider Cup''
(film footage of the S.4 at
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, from
British Pathé British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
)
Schneider Trophy Races
a history from Bluebird {{Supermarine aircraft Schneider Trophy 1920s British sport aircraft S.4 Aircraft first flown in 1925 Single-engined tractor aircraft Aviation accidents and incidents caused by loss of control Floatplanes