Derek N. James

At the end of 1912 Jacques Schneider announced his intention of presenting an annual trophy for an international seaplane contest. There were only twelve Schneider contests but they were major international events with the major rivals being Britain and Italy, followed by France and the US. Biplane seaplanes and flying-boats predominated the early contests and some very advanced twin-float biplanes were among the winners as late as 1925. However, it was the monoplane which was to become the symbol of Schneider Trophy, with Supermarine and Macchi designs reaching the peak of racing seaplane performance. The final winning combination of Supermarine airframe and Rolls-Royce engine was to make a vital contribution to Britain's defence in 1940 in the form of the Rolls-Royce powered Hurricane and Spitfire. This book records the contests and, in considerable detail, the design, development and achievements of the participating aircraft; those which failed to take part; and the projects, some of which embodied very advanced ideas even if they were proved to be unrealistic.

Although most renowned for its series of seaplane racers for the Schneider Trophy Contests and for fighters like the Gamecock and the Gladiator, the Gloster Aircraft Company ran the gamut of design ingenuity, even though no type was ordered into quantity production. The company was chosen to produce Britain's first jet aircraft, the E28/39 and followed its success with the ubiquitous Meteor and the all weather, missile-carrying Javelin, of which some 4000 were built. This updated edition of of Gloster Aircraft since 1917 describes the company's formation and development in the face of a diminishing need for military aircraft and provides some fascinating insights into the manner to which it struggled to surmount the engineering and financial problems of the four decades of its existence before succumbing to the economic and political pressures of the post 1957 Defence White Paper era. Each chapter in this book covers a specific aeroplane, discussing its construction, development and operational history and comprehensive appendices give year by year production figures, UK and export sales, air racing successes and record achievements.

A history of the Bristol Aeroplane Company

Westland