Supermarine p.4
| Supermarine p.4 | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Seaplane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
August 24, 1925 |
| Commissioning: |
1925 |
| Number of pieces: |
1 |
The Supermarine S.4 was a single-seat British racing - seaplane aircraft manufacturer Supermarine which to participate in the Schneider Trophy was developed 1925th
history
The Supermarine S.4 was designed by RJ Mitchell for the Schneider Trophy in 1925. The airplane, built of wood at Supermarine in Woolston , was powered by a 680 hp Napier Lion VII engine. In August 1925, the aircraft with the marine serial number N196 flew for the first time. Formally, it was also given the civil registration G-EBLP. On September 13, 1925, it set a new world speed record for seaplanes near Southampton with 226.752 mph (364.922 km / h). The designation S.4 results from the fact that Mitchell obviously saw the previous racing aircraft Sea Lion I, II and III as S.1, S.2 and S.3.
The machine was transported to the USA for the race by ship . During qualifying flights for the race at Bay Shore Park near Baltimore , it fell sideways from 60 meters into the water while circumnavigating a route marker at high speed and was destroyed in the process. The cause was most likely the occurrence of wing flutter.
Supermarine p.4 in the film
There are very few photos and film recordings on page 4, but five minutes of film with page 4 in the film Spitfire / First of the Few by and with Leslie Howard (in which David Niven also appears) have been preserved. This film shows drawings and recordings from the construction phase as well as the first take-off and flight.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 1 |
| length | 8.12 m |
| span | 9.33 m |
| height | 3.57 m |
| Wing area | 12.9 m² |
| Empty mass | 1179 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 1447 kg |
| Top speed | 385 km / h |
| Engine | 1 × 12-cylinder W engine Napier Lion VII; 680 PS (approx. 500 kW) |
See also
literature
- AJ Jackson: British Civil Aircraft since 1919. Putnam, London 1974, ISBN = 0 370 10014 X.
- William Green (Ed.): Supermarine's Schneider Seaplanes. Flying Review International, Volume 10, No. July 11, 1967.
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
Web links
- Supermarine S4. Designed by RJ Mitchell for the 1925 Schneider Trophy contest. In: Heritage. BAE Systems , accessed on September 3, 2019 (English, manufacturer's website).