52-531: The RAF High Speed Flight , sometimes known as 'The Flight' , was a small flight of the Royal Air Force (RAF) formed for the purpose of competing in the Schneider Trophy contest for racing seaplanes during the 1920s. The flight was together only until the trophy was won outright, after which it was disbanded. In the Schneider Trophy race of 1926 both competing countries, Italy and
104-527: A squadron . Numbered flights are uncommon, and are usually only found in basic training facilities. An alphabetic flight is an operational component of a flying or ground squadron, not an independent unit; alphabetic flights within a squadron normally have identical or similar functions, and are normally designated A, B, C, and so, on within the squadron. Flights in the USAF are generally authorised to have between 20 and 100 personnel, and are normally commanded by
156-618: A British victory in a third race would secure the trophy outright. As ever active in aviation affairs, Lord Rothermere's Daily Mail group of newspapers launched a public appeal for money to support a British race entrant; in response, several thousand pounds were raised. Lady Houston publicly pledged £100,000. The British government also changed its position and announced its support for an entry in January 1931; however, by this point, there were less than nine months left to design, produce and prepare any race entrant. The RAF High Speed Flight
208-530: A German Staffel , Italian gruppo or Polish eskadra (10 aircraft in 1939). This was in contrast to air squadrons of the British Commonwealth or United States , which usually had 12–18 aircraft, divided into two to four flights. Until 1949, between one and four French escadrilles formed a groupe . Since then, however, escadrilles have been subordinate to escadrons . As such, groupes and escadrons are
260-460: A company-grade officer ( lieutenant or captain ), and/or a flight chief, usually a senior non-commissioned officer with the rank of master sergeant or senior master sergeant . In USAF flying squadrons, the term flight also designates a tactical sub-unit of a squadron consisting of two or three elements (designated "sections" in U.S. Army and U.S. Naval Aviation ), with each element consisting of two or three aircraft. The flight operates under
312-622: A flight may contain as many as twelve aircraft, as is the case with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) of the British Royal Air Force (RAF). In most usages, two or more flights make up a squadron . Foreign languages equivalents include escadrille ( French ), escuadrilla ( Spanish ), esquadrilha ( Portuguese ), patrulă ( Romanian ), zveno ( Russian ), and Schwarm ( German ). In
364-550: A flight may further be sub-divided into two sections, each containing two to three aircraft, which share ground staff with the other section, and are usually commanded by a flight lieutenant. The Royal Navy's (RN) Fleet Air Arm (FAA), the Army Air Corps (AAC), and other Commonwealth naval and army aviation arms also have flights. In the Fleet Air Arm, a flight could be as few as a single helicopter operating from
416-470: A loosely defined group of aircraft capable of similar tasks, in most cases not more than six aeroplanes in each. During the war, the escadrille became the basic independent unit of aviation within the French armed forces. An escadrille was a homogeneous unit, armed with a single type of aeroplane, with permanent flying and ground personnel attached, motorised transport and tent hangars . By mid-1915,
468-610: A major improvement in British fighter aircraft. The Ministry specifically invited Supermarine to participate. Accordingly, Mitchell's next endeavour after the S.6B was the design of the company's submission to meet this specification, designated the Type 224 . While the Type 224 was a disappointment and was not selected for production, Supermarine's next project led to the development of the legendary Spitfire. The outstanding performance of
520-504: A minor accident led to S1596 sinking. As a result, both the race and the record were flown by S1595 (now in the Science Museum , London). The engines were swapped for this attempt though, from the "reliable" race tune to the ultimate performance "sprint" engine and its special fuel. Flight Lieutenant Stainforth then achieved a record of 407.5 mph, the first person to travel faster than 400 mph; "the mark that matters", in
572-703: A smaller ship. A ground flight within an air force is roughly equivalent to a platoon in an army, and may be commanded by a flight lieutenant, flying officer , pilot officer , or warrant officer . These ground flights may carry out operational roles (such as air traffic control , airfield defence , or firefighting ), engineering roles (such as aircraft maintenance , ground-based mechanical engineering , or other ground systems maintenance), support roles (including medical , dental, physical training , supply and logistics , training and education, and legal units), or purely administrative roles (such as finance , infrastructure, or human resource management). A flight
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#1732771952025624-432: A total of 45 ICBM missile flights. Under U.S. military and FAA common usage, for air traffic control and separation purposes, a "flight" of aircraft is simply two or more aircraft intentionally operating in close proximity to each other (typically in formation) under a designated "flight leader", without regard to military organisational hierarchy. An escadrille (literal translations: "squad" or "small squadron")
676-411: Is a small military unit within the larger structure of an air force , naval air service, or army air corps; and is usually subordinate to a larger squadron . A military aircraft flight is typically composed of four aircraft, though two to six aircraft may also form an aircraft flight; along with their aircrews and ground staff. In some very specific examples, typically involving historic aircraft,
728-416: Is also a basic unit of guided missiles, such as surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). The United States Air Force (USAF) has three types of flights: numbered, alphabetic, and aircraft (which may be designated by alpha-numerics or name). A numbered flight is a unit with a unique base, wing , group , or Numbered Air Force mission; such as training or finance, though not large enough to warrant designation as
780-625: Is displayed in an unrestored state. For a short period of time, S1596 was tested at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment (MAEE) at Felixstowe . but was unfortunately written off after a non-fatal crash in 1931. Having been repainted in WW2 to represent S1596 in the film First of the Few , S.6A N248 remained in this guise postwar and was displayed as S1596 at various events and locations including
832-488: Is the twoship with hot spare (the English term is used), the third aircraft being released before reaching the target if none of the others had to be sent back earlier. The Kette (meaning chain) of three aircraft is a historic term. These terms refer to groups of aircraft only and are not used for ground units. Supermarine S.6B The Supermarine S.6B is a British racing seaplane developed by R.J. Mitchell for
884-529: Is the label given to flights in the air forces and navies of some French-speaking countries. While the term is frequently translated into English as "squadron", an escadrille was originally a smaller unit (whereas the French escadron , also translated as "squadron", in the context of aviation is a much larger unit, comparable in status to a naval squadron). The first air escadrilles were formed in France before World War I , in 1912. They were initially
936-551: The Armée de l'air had grown to 119 escadrilles of 10 aircraft each: 14 of fighters, 50 of bombers and the rest reconnaissance, spotter and communications units. While escadrilles initially operated independently, during the Battle of Verdun (1916), chasseur (fighter) escadrilles were formed into larger formations, for easier coordination. During World War II , French escadrilles usually fielded between 10 and 12 aircraft. Hence they were roughly equivalent to
988-477: The RAF High Speed Flight brought a total of six Supermarine Schneider racers to Calshot Spit on Southampton Water for training and practice. These aircraft were: S.5 serial number N219 , second at Venice in 1927, S.5 N220 , winner at Venice in 1927, two S.6s with new engines and redesignated as S.6As ( N247 that won at Calshot in 1929 and S.6A N248 , disqualified at Calshot in 1929), and
1040-607: The Rolls-Royce Merlin engine that powered it. Neither Mitchell nor Supermarine would produce further racing aircraft for successive competitions as work on the development of a new fighter aircraft at the British government's behest had taken precedence. Only 18 days after the S.6B's Schneider triumph the British Air Ministry issued Specification F7/30 , which called for an all-metal land-based fighter aircraft and sought innovative solutions aiming at
1092-632: The Royal Aero Club , responsible for organising the 1931 race, and which included representatives from both the aircraft and aero engine industries, was formed to discuss the feasibility of a privately funded entry, but concluded that not only would this be beyond their financial reach, but that the lack of the highly skilled RAF pilots of the High-Speed Flight would pose a severe problem. The withdrawal of backing resulted in enormous public disappointment: having won two successive races,
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#17327719520251144-491: The Supermarine company to take part in the Schneider Trophy competition of 1931. The S.6B marked the culmination of Mitchell's quest to "perfect the design of the racing seaplane" and represented the cutting edge of aerodynamic technology for the era. The S.6B was last in a line of racing seaplanes to be developed by Supermarine, following the S.4 , S.5 and the S.6 . Despite these predecessors having previously won
1196-525: The 1927 race. For the 1927 competition, six aircraft, from three manufacturers, were taken to Venice : a pair of Supermarine S.5s , three Gloster IVs and a single Short Crusader . The Crusader was slower than the others, and was intended for training, but crashed on 11 September 1927. The cause was later identified as a control rigging error, following re-assembly after the journey from the UK to Venice. The Supermarine S.5s came in first and second, with neither
1248-575: The 1929 victory was summed up by the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald , "We are going to do our level best to win again." However official support was withdrawn because of the need for economies following the Wall Street crash of October 1929. The Cabinet vetoed RAF involvement and Government funding in a sporting event. Trenchard's view that there was no advantage as aircraft development would continue whether or not
1300-544: The Gloster nor the three Italian aircraft completing the race. As the winning nation, the UK would host the following event. This was the last annual competition. Subsequently, the race was held on a biannual schedule, to allow more time for development between races. The High Speed Flight was disbanded after the race. The Treasury agreed to fund the aircraft for the next event but the Air Ministry objected initially to
1352-544: The Lion VIID. S.6 N247 came first, piloted by Waghorn, with Atcherley and N248 disqualified for cutting inside a turn. The Gloster VI had been withdrawn before the race, but Stainforth used it to set a new speed record the following day. A record which soon fell in turn to one of the S.6s. Under the rules of the Schneider Trophy, a third win would be an outright win in perpetuity. The official attitude after
1404-523: The S.6B had drawn the attention of not only British military officials and aircraft designers, but internationally as well, influencing new fighter projects in, amongst other nations, both Nazi Germany and the United States . After the completion of the record-breaking flights, both S.6Bs were retired. The Schneider Trophy winning S.6B S1595 was donated to the Science Museum in London, where it
1456-426: The Schneider Trophy competition twice, the development of the S.6B was hampered by wavering government support, which was first promised then withdrawn, and then given once more after a high-profile public campaign encouraged by Lord Rothermere and backed by a substantial donation by Lady Houston . Once government backing had been secured, there were only nine months before the race, so Mitchell's only realistic option
1508-512: The UK competed. The public however had other ideas and backed the idea of a national team. A wealthy benefactor, shipping heiress Lady Lucy Houston , offered to pay £100,000 towards its cost. With the financial burden removed, the Government allowed the RAF to compete again. The delay in funding meant that there was no time to design a new aircraft to compete; instead, the S.6 design was modified:
1560-676: The United States, had used military pilots. There had not been time to arrange a British team to compete. The British defeat of 1925 was held to be the result of technical inferiority and lack of organisation. The Air Ministry therefore agreed to support a British team, with pilots drawn from the RAF, and so the High Speed Flight was formed at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment Felixstowe in preparation for
1612-486: The case of a non-flying, or "ground flight", such as Mechanical Transport Flight (MTF), Supply Flight, Accounts Flight, etc; no aircraft, and a roughly equivalent number of support personnel may be utilised. The term "flight" is also a basic unit for intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). The use of the term "flight" originated in the United Kingdom to describe a collection of aircraft (typically four in
High Speed Flight RAF - Misplaced Pages Continue
1664-496: The command of a designated flight leader. In U.S. Army Aviation , the equivalent organisational level of a flight is called a "platoon", while in U.S. Naval Aviation the flight is known as a "division". In Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile units of the U.S. Air Force, a flight is composed of ten unstaffed launch facilities, remotely controlled by a staffed launch control center , containing two personnel. Five of these flights make up one missile squadron. The Air Force has
1716-535: The completed product. The costs of the 1927 and 1929 meetings was stated to be £196,000 and £220,000 respectively. Rolls-Royce had now developed the supercharged R engine, giving Supermarine's designer R.J. Mitchell far more power for his new S.6 than the naturally aspirated Napier Lion VIIB of the S.5 . Gloster's first racing monoplane, the Gloster VI , had stayed with the Lion, but was also now supercharged as
1768-512: The course. The plan was thus to attempt to beat the previous race time with one of the S6.Bs, then to either go all-out for a new record attempt, or to use the S6.A to secure the Trophy. The first goal was met according to plan; Flight Lieutenant Boothman , won in S.6B S1595 at 340.08 mph, 12 mph faster than the 1929 time. Work then began on the record attempt, which suffered a setback when
1820-563: The early days of aviation), and dates back to around 1912. It has been suggested that the term was coined by technical sub-committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence , which was examining the British air arrangements around the same time. In the United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF), and the other air forces of the British Commonwealth , from where much air force terminology emanated, an aircraft flight, in
1872-473: The equivalent of the German language terms Gruppe and Geschwader ; and the English language terms " wing " and " group " (the definitions of which also vary from one nation to another). A Schwarm (meaning swarm) as part of a Staffel (squadron) comprises four aircraft and can be further subdivided into twoships called Rotte (meaning rout, two aircraft). The tactical formation, however,
1924-404: The first decades of air forces, was commanded by a flight lieutenant (FltLt), a rank equivalent to captain in armies and other air forces, or a naval lieutenant . More recently, however, it has become common for a flight to be led by a squadron leader (SqnLdr); a formal rank distinct from a squadron commander; equivalent to an army major or naval lieutenant commander . On rare occasions,
1976-484: The newly built S.6Bs, S1595 and S1596 . For the competition itself, only the S.6Bs and S.6As were intended to participate. The British plan for the Schneider contest was to have S1595 fly the course alone and, if its speed was not high enough, or the aircraft encountered mechanical failure, then the more-proven S.6A N248 would fly the course. If both S1595 and N248 failed in their attempts, then N247 , which
2028-401: The output of the R engine was increased by 400 hp to 2,300 hp and the airframe was strengthened, producing S.6B . Two new aircraft were built to this specification and the two existing S.6s were upgraded and renamed S.6A. In the event, the race itself was an anti-climax - no other countries entered a team. All that had to be done was for one of the aircraft from the flight to complete
2080-496: The prospective aircraft's heat dissipation; speaking on a radio broadcast, he later referred to the S.6B as a "flying radiator". Mitchell decided to use the aircraft's floats as an additional radiator area; these were longer than those of the S.6, their design being supported by a series of wind tunnel tests performed at the National Physical Laboratory , which was also an area in which government support
2132-488: The speed record attempts. Their modifications were small, the significant ones being a small uprating to the thrust of the Derwent engines, an aluminium cockpit hood as the normal Perspex hood was softening in the heat at over 600 mph. The course was set out over 3-km between Littlehampton and Worthing ; over five laps Donaldson achieved 616 mph; Waterton 614 mph. Flight (military unit) A flight
High Speed Flight RAF - Misplaced Pages Continue
2184-524: The type competed successfully, winning the Schneider Trophy for Britain. Shortly after the race, S.6B S1596 , flown by Flt Lt. George Stainforth , broke the world air speed record , attaining a peak speed of 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h). Despite the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald 's pledge that government support would be provided for the next British race entrant immediately after Britain's 1929 victory, official funding
2236-547: The use of serving pilots. This was sorted out and the High Speed Flight reformed. In March 1928, Samuel Kinkead made an attempt on the air speed record using a Supermarine S5. At the approach to the start of the course, however, the aircraft plunged into the water, killing him. The 1929 Trophy race was to be held at Cowes . With little money forthcoming from the Ministry aircraft and engine development had to be private ventures, with government money only being used to purchase
2288-783: The words of Ernest Hives . In comparison, land speed records didn't achieve this for 15 years, until after the Second World War and John Cobb 's Railton Mobil Special . The Flight was wound up within weeks of the 1931 victory, it having served its purpose. In 1946 the High-Speed Flight was re-formed, to attempt the World Air Speed Record . The Flight was under the command of Group Capt. E. M. Donaldson DSO , AFC and would include such notable pilots as Flt. Lt. Neville Duke DSO, DFC, Wing Cdr. Roland Beamont DSO and Squadron Leader W.A. Waterton AFC. Two Meteor IVs , EE549 and EE550 , were prepared for
2340-486: Was helpful to the project. The floats were extended forward by some three feet (0.9 m); while longer than their predecessors, they were streamlined and had a smaller frontal area. Other modifications to the airframe design were mostly limited to minor improvements and some strengthening in order to cope with the increased weight of the aircraft. Although the British team faced no competitors, due to misfortunes and delays suffered by other intending participants,
2392-400: Was only guaranteed for a short time. To improve the engine performance, the use of an exotic fuel mix was necessary, as well as the adoption of sodium -cooled valves. Instead, he refined the design of the existing Supermarine S.6, the new variant being referred to as the Supermarine S.6B . Mitchell retained the majority of the S.6's design, his efforts being principally focused on improving
2444-613: Was performed by S.6B S1595 , piloted by Flt. Lt. John Boothman , attaining a recorded top speed of 340.08 mph (547.19 km/h) and flying seven perfect laps of the triangular course over the Solent , the strait between the Isle of Wight and the British mainland . As the only contender it necessarily won, and the British record of wins entitled them to retain the Schneider trophy permanently. Seventeen days later, another historic flight
2496-499: Was performed by S.6B S1596 , flown by Flt Lt. George Stainforth , having broken the world air speed record by reaching a peak speed of 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h). The performance of the S.6B and its forerunners caused Mitchell to be recognised as a great designer of performance aircraft. The S.6B has been hailed as giving the impetus to the development of both the Supermarine Spitfire fighter aircraft and
2548-411: Was planned to be held in reserve, would be used. The S.6B S1596 was then to attempt the world air speed record. During practice, N247 was destroyed in a takeoff accident, resulting in the death of the pilot, Lieut. G. L. Brinton, R.N., precluding any other plans with only the two S.6Bs and the sole surviving S.6A prepared to conduct the final Schneider run. On 13 September 1931, the Schneider flight
2600-560: Was reformed while Mitchell and Rolls-Royce set to work. Mitchell, with limited time to prepare an entry, knew that there was not enough time left to design a new aircraft from scratch. The obvious means of improving the S.6's performance was by obtaining more power from the R-Type engine. Engineers at Rolls-Royce had managed to increase the available power of the engine by 400 hp (298 kW), enabling it to now provide up to 2,300 hp (1,715 kW); however, this level of performance
2652-469: Was to refine the existing S.6, rather than attempting a new design. The principal differences between the S.6 and the S.6B were the increased power of the Rolls-Royce R engine and redesigned floats : minor aerodynamic refinements typically aimed at drag reduction were also made. A pair of S.6Bs, serials S1595 and S1596 , were built for the competition. Flown by members of RAF High Speed Flight ,
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#17327719520252704-519: Was withdrawn less than two months later following the Wall Street Crash ; the official reason given for the withdrawal that the previous two contests had collected sufficient data on high speed flight, so further expenditure of public money was unwarranted. A further rationale given for the government's revised position was that that original purpose in pioneering high speed seaplanes had been satisfied by this point. A committee established by
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