Schneider Trophy special: Epilogue: the final evolution, and summary
In 1932, the Air Ministry issued a specification to Supermarine for the design of a new fighter aircraft. Reginald Mitchell proposed two designs - the Type 224, and the Type 300. The RAF quickly became interested in the latter.
The Type 300 prototype flew for the first time on 5th March 1936, and the Air Ministry submitted a list of possible names for the aircraft. When hearing of the winner, Mitchell is reported to have said that “Spitfire” was “just the sort of bloody silly name they would choose.”
Reginald Mitchell died on June 9th 1937.
So was the Spitfire the main legacy/result of the Schneider Trophy? As an icon, yes, but more important was the relationship that blossomed between the British aircraft and their engines. A.F. Sidgreaves, managing director of Rolls-Royce, declared that the Trophy had compressed 10 years of engine development into two years. The Rolls Royce Merlin engine, that became an icon in the Second World War, may never have been created in time - if at all.
Looking back at the Trophy, there are plenty of what-ifs around every corner..
What if the Trophy had kept to the original vision of promoting the advancement of passenger planes? What if the 1919 race had not been held in Bournemouth, close to the Supermarine headquarters, and Italy had won that race? etc.
This excellent Smithsonian article summarises far better than I can.
Other useful Schneider Trophy sources/resources/articles:
fellow Tumblr user Crudmudgeon
RJ Mitchell
The Racing Campbells
The Observer
LetLetLet Warplanes
HydroRetro
RAF
Speedbirds
June 10, 2009, 3:17pm
