106-657: The Supermarine Sea Lion II was a British racing flying boat built by the Supermarine Aviation Works . Designed by Reginald Mitchell , the Sea Lion II was a modification of Supermarine's Sea King II . It was powered by a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine. Entered for the 1922 Schneider Trophy contest at Naples , Sea Lion II was planned to be able to attain a speed of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h). It competed against two Italian aircraft. Supermarine's test pilot Henry Biard flew
212-481: A Channel II aircraft, despite poor weather: the aircraft's good performance in these conditions led Japan to purchase three. When there was no flying to be done, Biard was tasked with other jobs around the Supermarine works: he was once introduced to a set of prospective customers while shovelling coal from a lorry. During the railway strike of 27 September–5 October 1919, Scott-Paine tasked Biard with flying
318-623: A Douglas DC-7 , with one aircraft completing the circuit. In 2003, Red Bull created a series called the Red Bull Air Race World Championship , in which competitors flew individually between pairs of pylons, while performing prescribed manoeuvres. Usually held over water near large cities, the sport has attracted large crowds and renewed media interest in air racing. The inaugural season had stops in Austria and Hungary. In 2019, Red Bull decided not to continue
424-528: A Savoia S.19 flying boat, the only aircraft to take part in the meeting) and again in 1921 by a Macchi M.7 , in another uncontested race. A third consecutive Italian victory would result in the trophy being permanently retained by Italy. The British aircraft company Supermarine Aviation Works competed in the 1922 contest with a self-funded entry, in contrast to the Italian and French entries, which were sponsored by their respective governments. The British entry
530-679: A U-boat and seeing oil in the water, usually a sign of a sinking. He also fought over the Western Front , where he shot down a German Albatros aircraft. On 1 April 1918, the RNAS was merged with the RFC to form the Royal Air Force . The London Gazette reported that Biard had been entered onto the RAF's unemployed list on 22 May 1919, with the rank of second lieutenant. Upon leaving
636-439: A thermal , but the aircraft's unusually good manoeuvrability allowed him to escape without incident. The Savoia S.51 , which was to be flown by the Italian pilot Alessandro Passaleva [ it ] , failed the mandatory flotation test held on 10 August (by which all aircraft were required to remain afloat at anchor for six hours, without needing to be bailed out): under the rules, it should have been disqualified from
742-634: A 2,700 mi (2,346 nmi; 4,345 km) route from Long Island, New York to San Francisco, California , and back, which would see widespread carnage; including seven fatalities (two en route to the race). Of the 48 aircraft that started, 33 would complete the double crossing of the continent. In 1921 , the United States instituted the National Air Meets, which became the National Air Races in 1924 . In 1929 ,
848-601: A 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano Suiza engine in pusher configuration that had first flown in 1921. The Sea King II was of similar layout to the Supermarine Sea Lion I that had competed in the 1919 Schneider Trophy race, with the Sea Lion I a modified version of the earlier Supermarine Baby , a flying boat fighter aircraft of the First World War. Compared with the Sea Lion I, the new aircraft had
954-563: A British pilot and aircraft racer. As chief test pilot for the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine , he won the 1922 Schneider Trophy air race and briefly held the world record for the fastest speed in a seaplane. Biard was born in Surrey , where his father worked as a public school teacher, and spent time as a child on his mother's native island of Jersey , where he was educated at Victoria College . He first learned to fly in 1910 at
1060-665: A Frenchman working as an assistant French master at Charterhouse School , and Lucy Constance Delmaine, a native of St Helier , Jersey . Henry Biard learned to swim at the age of four, and was described as a "water baby" in a 1958 article in The Liverpool Echo ; he remained a keen swimmer and fisherman throughout his life. Biard attended Victoria College , a public school in Jersey, between 1906 and 1907. The family lived at 2 Claremont Terrace in St Helier. They left
1166-434: A Macchi S.7 and a Savioa S.19, with two French entrants failing to start the race. The course consisted of 13 laps, each of length 17.7 miles (28.5 km); during practice runs, none of the teams showed their true capabilities. The race, which took place on an unusually hot day, was uneventful. Sea Lion II was flown by Henry Biard , who won the race at an average speed of 145.7 mph (234.5 km/h), and took over one and
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#17327946240541272-486: A course around the Bay of Naples . Turning points were marked by balloons. In his practice flights, which were widely advertised to the Italian aviators, Biard flew slowly and with what the aviation historian Jonathan Glancey describes as a "deliberate insouciance", aiming to create a false sense of security in his rivals. During one test flight, over Mount Vesuvius , Biard was unexpectedly lifted 2,000 ft (610 m) on
1378-593: A crash, from which both escaped unhurt. He resigned his commission in the RFC; this was reported in the London Gazette of 2 June 1914 as effective the following day. I don't care to write much about the war. It was a dirty business, from the angle I remember it, sending other men's sons to death when they should have been at school. They were gallant lads, the fliers of those days. The lucky ones died with their illusions intact. The rest of us lived on. Let's leave it at that. — Biard, writing in 1934 Biard
1484-548: A daily route in a Channel II from Supermarine's headquarters at Woolston in Hampshire to Le Havre in Normandy , replacing the steam-powered ships that normally sailed from Southampton and whose crews had struck in solidarity with the railway workers. Biard was to fly each day in all weathers, usually alongside another Supermarine pilot. On the return journey from his first crossing, Biard ran out of fuel, having waited in
1590-527: A fixed course, with the winner either returning the shortest time, the one to complete it with the most points, or to come closest to a previously estimated time. The first 'heavier-than-air' air race was held on 23 May 1909 - the Prix de Lagatinerie , at the Port-Aviation airport south of Paris , France. Four pilots entered the race, two started, but nobody completed the full race distance; though this
1696-412: A half minutes less time to complete the course than the second-placed aircraft, flown by Alessandro Passaleva. The victory was the first post-World War I success by a British aircraft in an international competition—it generated publicity for Supermarine, and demonstrated Mitchell's "magic touch" when modifying the airframe to improve the performance of an aircraft that originated from an old design. For
1802-558: A hangar at the back of Supermarine's works; Biard, who was to fly the aircraft, was not told of its existence until early July 1922, when he agreed to be the pilot for the race. The race had originally been scheduled for 26 August, but in mid-July the Italian [[Aero Club d'Italia| Aero Club d'Italia ]] [ it ] – who were hosting the race as the winners of the previous year – announced, possibly under governmental pressure, that it would be moved forward to 12 August. In contrast to its later stature after 1927, when
1908-519: A hot air balloon with a promotional parse touting his newspaper. The event attracted 43 entrants, of which 16 appeared. It was there that aviation pioneer and military pilot Jimmy Doolittle , then thirteen, saw his first airplane. In the years before the First World War , popular interest in aviation led to a large number of air races in Europe; including the 1911 Circuit of Europe race,
2014-496: A landplane, on 11 September 1924. During his early test flights, Ernest Mansbridge , a designer for Supermarine, sat in the aircraft's second seat with an alarm clock to measure the aircraft's rate of climb , as well as bags of sand to be thrown out in order to adjust its weight. Biard characterised the Sparrow as being "as impudent as its name implied". During a demonstration flight, watched by Mitchell and Supermarine's directors,
2120-889: A large static aircraft display. Other promoters have run pylon racing events across the US and Canada, including races in Las Vegas, NV in 1965 , Lancaster, CA in 1965 and 1966, Mojave, California in 1970-71, and 1973–79; at Cape May, NJ in 1971, San Diego, CA in 1971, Miami, FL in 1973 and 1979, Moose Jaw , Saskatchewan in 1984; Hamilton Field, California , in 1988; at Dallas, TX in 1990, in Denver, CO in 1990 and 1992, in Kansas City in 1993, in Phoenix, Arizona in 1994 and 1995; and in Tunica, Mississippi in 2005. Numerous other venues across
2226-436: A more refined hull shape, a differently-designed tail , and a propeller that had four blades, instead of two. The Sea King II was modified at the company's works at Woolston, Southampton by Supermarine's chief designer and chief engineer, Reginald Mitchell , who incorporated a 450 hp (340 kW) Napier Lion engine loaned by Napier . The new engine resulted in an increase in power of 50 per cent; Mitchell hoped
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#17327946240542332-470: A new seaplane world speed record, flying an S.51 at 174.08 mph (280.15 km/h). On his return from Naples, Biard was due to fly in the King's Cup , a round-Britain race, which was flown between 8–9 September, as the favourite: however, he was unable to make it back to Britain in time, and the race was won by Frank L. Barnard. Biard eventually returned to Britain to a hero's welcome. Supermarine's entry
2438-417: A new world record on a straight course, flying at 245 mph (394 km/h). Biard blamed the crash on wing flutter , with which Broad concurred; this assessment was factored into Mitchell's design of the later S6 , which was fitted with wing stiffeners. Later experiments using a scale model in a wind tunnel were generally inconclusive, but suggested that airflow over the wings may have interfered with
2544-411: A possible rescue, but the boat broke down. Broad, who had taken off for his own trial before Biard, landed and taxied over to Biard, finding him conscious and floating on the water, and held onto him until the rescue boat arrived, almost an hour after the crash. Various accounts report that Mitchell's first words to Biard were to sardonically ask whether the water was warm enough for him. Biard withdrew to
2650-414: A precipitous fall from approximately 100 ft (30 m). Biard was able to bring the aircraft to a landing on the water, narrowly missing the nearby RMS Majestic , but its undercarriage collapsed from the impact. Mitchell had positioned himself on a speedboat – owned by Louis Mountbatten , the future Viceroy of India – and put on his swimming trunks underneath his suit in preparation for
2756-612: A public figure; when he was hospitalised in Southampton for a sudden illness over a weekend in 1932, the story was reported in The Scotsman . He left Supermarine in 1933. Biard moved to Titchfield in Hampshire, where he ran a small shop. Unusually among test pilots in the era, he wrote an autobiography for the popular market, which he titled Wings and released in 1934. He wrote for various British newspapers, including
2862-537: A return flight from Le Havre, for which neither pilot had any passengers, his colleague Bailey crashed near the Isle of Wight: Biard located the wreckage, where he was met by another aircraft carrying Bailey as a passenger. Having been picked up by a fishing boat and taken to Southampton, Bailey had undertaken to be flown back to the crash site to prove that he had survived. While at Supermarine, Biard became close friends with R. J. Mitchell , who became its chief designer in
2968-501: A series of five columns, titled Learn to Fly Now , for a local Hampshire newspaper in 1934 and another series on the history of flight for London's Sunday Dispatch in the same year. In September 1936, he wrote a piece in the Bradford Observer , arguing that it would be impossible to stop a bomber offensive in the event of a major war, and consequently that British defence spending on air defence – particularly from
3074-429: A short-lived collaboration between Supermarine and Southern Railway from August until November 1923. Biard made these flights in a Supermarine Sea Eagle , initially landing in L'Ancresse Bay; later services would fly to the island's capital, Saint Peter Port . Biard's colleague at Supermarine, Harry Griffiths, described him in 2006 as "what would now be termed a 'character ' "; Hubert Broad , alongside whom Biard
3180-452: A specific type or design creates a competition that focuses on pilot skill. Air racing events such as the Reno air races, incorporate multiple classes or aircraft. These may be defined by the race organiser, or by a sanctioned group. Some air races are limited to a single class. Classes used at the Reno races are as follows: Henry Biard Henry Biard (also known as Henri ) was
3286-621: The Blackburn Pellet – was subsequently nicknamed the "Plummet". The course, around the Solent , was five laps each of 42.8 miles (68.9 km). The race began at 11am in calm conditions, with a slight breeze from the west. By agreement, the two American pilots – lieutenants David Rittenhouse and Rutledge Irvine of the United States Navy , flying Curtiss CR -3 aircraft – took off first. Biard followed, and
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3392-710: The Daily Mail Circuit of Britain Air Race , and the Aerial Derby . In 1913 , the first Schneider Trophy seaplane race was held. When the competition was resumed after the war, it was significant in advancing aeroplane design , particularly in the fields of aerodynamics and engine design, and would show its results in the best fighters of World War II. On 19 October 1919 , the Army Transcontinental Air Race began along
3498-476: The Gordon Bennett race, allowing France to retain the trophy and ending the competition. The Schneider Trophy was won by Italy in both 1920 and 1921; three consecutive wins would have allowed them to retain the trophy in perpetuity in the same fashion. In previous iterations of the event, competing aircraft had been required to carry a payload to simulate the armament of a military aircraft; this rule
3604-525: The Liverpool Echo , his parents considered flying "a crazy, dangerous business". On his first day in Hendon, Biard bought a chequered cap in the same style as that worn by Grahame-White, and spent the remainder of the day waiting for a pilot to take him up. The following day, he tricked his way onto a Bristol Boxkite that had been warmed up for flight, took off, piloted the aircraft for a mile across
3710-705: The Western Front . Biard joined Supermarine after being demobilised from the Royal Air Force , the successor to the RNAS, in 1919, and became a close colleague of R. J. Mitchell , the company's chief designer. He tested many Mitchell-designed aircraft, including the Swan , the Southampton , the Seagull and the Scarab . He was also the pilot for three of Supermarine's entries into the Schneider Trophy, winning
3816-679: The Women's Air Derby , nicknamed the 'Powder Puff Derby', became a part of the National Air Races circuit. The National Air Races lasted until 1949 . The Cleveland Air Races was another important event. In 1947 , an All-Woman Transcontinental Air Race, also dubbed the Powder Puff Derby was established, running until 1977 . In 1934 , the MacRobertson Air Race from England to Australia took place, with
3922-406: The 100 km (62 mi), 200 km and 400 km distances. Eves suggests that Biard's faster flying over the first seven laps, which represented a distance of 200 km, was similarly intended to ensure that he broke the record for that distance. Biard's own account of the race, in his autobiography, has been described by Pegram as "a work of pure fiction". According to Biard's account,
4028-533: The 1922 Schneider Trophy race, which took place at Naples on 12 August 1922 after the Italians brought the initial date for the race forward by two weeks. High winds restricted the time available for the plane to be flight tested in England. The aircraft was dismantled before being put into crates and transported to Naples on board SS Philomel , free of charge. The Sea Lion II competed against two Italian aircraft,
4134-600: The 1923 Schneider Race, which was held at Cowes on the Isle of Wight , the Sea Lion II was redesigned and re-engined with a 550 hp (410 kW) Napier Lion engine. It was renamed as the Supermarine Sea Lion III . Data from Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 General characteristics Performance Related lists Air racing Air racing is a type of motorsport that involves airplanes or other types of aircraft that compete over
4240-410: The 1927 competition onwards, the training and selection of pilots was conducted by the RAF, which formed its High Speed Flight on 1 October 1926 for the purpose. Britain retained the trophy and ended the competition after its third consecutive win – by John Boothman , who flew with no foreign opponents – in 1931. Had he flown in 1925, Biard would have been the only pilot ever to appear three times in
4346-474: The British entry to the race was co-ordinated by the Air Ministry and the event became one of the most popular sporting events in the country, British participation in the Schneider Trophy in the early 1920s received no government funding and was entirely organised by aircraft manufacturers. A substantial entry fee was charged to ensure that only serious contenders put themselves forward. In order to raise
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4452-595: The Gordon Bennett Trophy in a Deperdussin Monocoque in 1913. According to the historian Constance Babington Smith , Biard was "frankly awestruck" by the elegance of the Supermarine S4, and its contrast with what she calls "the galumphing flying-boats of the era, with their clutter of struts and wires". Eves, by contrast, writes that Biard "heartily disliked" the limited visibility afforded by
4558-595: The Mediterranean, though he was forced to withdraw halfway through the voyage for an operation on his stomach injury from the 1925 Schneider Trophy crash. The aircraft would later crash on 25 January 1933; James broke her leg and the aircraft was scrapped. Biard continued to test Vickers aircraft that used Supermarine floats, and flew the Vickers Vildebeest on a tour of the Baltic in 1931. He remained
4664-581: The RAF, Biard became the chief test pilot for the British aircraft manufacturer Supermarine . He was the most experienced of six pilots, all former RNAS aviators, hired by the firm's owner Hubert Scott-Paine : the others included F. J. Bailey and Basil Deacon Hobbs . Hobbs, later a decorated member of the Royal Canadian Air Force , piloted the Supermarine Sea Lion I for the 1919 Schneider Trophy , an annual speed trial for seaplanes. Biard accompanied Hobbs's team and flew spectators around
4770-573: The RAF, as well as by Argentina, Turkey and Australia, and was credited as "a new standard for marine aircraft" by the aviation historians C. F. Andrews and E. B. Morgan. Other aircraft he tested included the Seamew , the Seagull and the Scarab , a militarised version of the Sea Eagle designed for the Spanish Navy . He met the future Edward VIII , then Prince of Wales , on 27 July, during
4876-755: The Red Bull Air Race World Championship. Aero GP has multiple aircraft racing together pik around pylons, and is based in Europe where it has held an air race each year since 2005 . In June of 2005 against all odds and extreme pressure from the Reno Air Race Association not to start another race, entrepreneur Jeff Landers, a Memphis native, organized the Tunica Air Races in Tunica, Mississippi with Unlimited, T-6, and Sport classes represented. After
4982-800: The Royal Navy ;– was misguided. Biard moved to Guernsey and worked for the Guernsey Meteorological Service, but returned to Hendon after the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, as a communications pilot for the RAF with the service number 70062. He spent most of his Second World War service in the RAF's Administrative and Special Duties Branch, except for a transfer to the General Duties Branch between 1 August 1940 and 17 March 1941. On 2 July 1944, he relinquished his commission on
5088-485: The Sparrow's design, particularly that of its landing gear and controls, as lacking attention to detail and as limiting the pilot's view from the cockpit; the aircraft was subsequently eliminated from the Lympne trial when a connecting rod in its engine failed: the engine which was fitted to replace it initially failed to start, then seized in mid-air, forcing Biard to make another emergency landing. Biard did, however, race
5194-527: The United States, Canada, and Mexico have also hosted events featuring the smaller Formula One and Biplane classes. In 1970 , American Formula One racing was exported to Europe (Great Britain, and then to France), where almost as many races have been held as in the U.S.A. Also in 1970, the California 1000 Air Race started at the Mojave Airport with a 66 lap unlimited air race that featured
5300-482: The aerodrome, picked up a mechanic, and flew back safely. He later wrote that he had made the flight "more or less by French leave ". Biard subsequently received formal instruction at the school, during which the instructor sat astride his aircraft's fuel tank. He gained his aviator's certificate, numbered 218, on 4 June 1912, and became an instructor at the Grahame-White school. On 16 April 1913, Biard
5406-448: The air around half an hour for his colleague, Hobbs, to take off, and was forced to land at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight : Hobbs did not notice Biard's absence until he himself landed at Woolston. An aerial search was launched to find Biard, who managed to find petrol and return safely. The flights carried passengers for a fare of £12.10s (equivalent to £726 in 2021), and occasionally mail. During an impromptu race against Biard on
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#17327946240545512-414: The aircraft and was, like most pilots of his era, unfamiliar with flying monoplanes. On 13 September, on a three-mile course at Calshot in Hampshire, Biard set a world seaplane speed record, flying at 226.75 mph (364.92 km/h). During the crossing from England, aboard SS Minnewaska , Biard broke his wrist playing tennis on the deck; after arriving in the United States, he caught influenza for
5618-525: The aircraft on 14 October at Lympne for the Grosvenor Cup ; he placed fourth with an average speed of 62.08 mph (99.91 km/h). Supermarine rebuilt the Sparrow, now designated the Sparrow II, with a 32 hp (24,000 W) Bristol Cherub III engine for the 1926 competition . The aircraft, 130 pounds (59 kg) heavier and 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) slower than the Sparrow I,
5724-460: The aircraft to victory at an average speed of 145.7 mph (234.5 km/h)—the first post-World War I success by a British aeroplane in an international competition. The Sea Lion II was renamed the Sea Lion III for the 1923 contest, after Mitchell modified the design, and it was re-engined. . The Schneider Trophy race for seaplanes and flying boats had been won by Italy in 1920 (by
5830-420: The aircraft's elevators and tailplanes, causing aileron flutter. The historian Derek James has suggested that the accident may have been caused by aileron reversal , which can itself be caused by flutter, or by the failure of a wing flap and aileron interconnection system. Glancey has also suggested that poor visibility – the aircraft's engine obscured much of its pilot's field of view – may have contributed to
5936-514: The aircraft's engine failed in mid-air; Biard made an emergency landing, crashing through a hedge, from which he escaped unhurt. The aircraft had been designed for the Royal Aero Club's Two-Seater Light Aeroplane Competition, held at Lympne in Kent during late September and early October 1924, which carried a prize of £2,000 (equivalent to £144,084 in 2023). The Air Ministry criticised
6042-572: The audience can see the pilots up close as they carry out spectacular manoeuvres swooping close to the ground-pylons during the race. In November 2021, the first remotely-piloted eVTOL drag race between two Airspeeder craft took place. In 2022 , The remotely-piloted racing series (Airspeeder EXA Series) began in 2022 with Zephatali Walsh named as the inaugural season champion. The aircraft, built by Alauda Aeronautics, use electric vertical take-off and landing ( eVTOL ) technology and are designed to be crewed by human pilots. Restricting aircraft to
6148-482: The bay in one of Supermarine's flying boats for a price of three guineas (£3.3s, equivalent to £142 in 2018), described by the historian Ralph Pegram as "a huge sum at the time". The race was ultimately declared void amidst poor visibility due to fog and confusion among organisers and pilots. In March 1921, Biard flew a delegation of Japanese military and civil officials out above the English Channel in
6254-599: The company until 1933, and released his autobiography, Wings , in 1934. During the Second World War , he re-joined the RAF, but resigned his commission in 1944 on the grounds of ill health. He settled with his wife in Guernsey , and died in Charminster on 18 January 1966. Henri Charles Amédée de La Faye Biard was born in Godalming , Surrey , on 1 January 1892. He was the second of three sons of Raymond Biard,
6360-579: The competition's historian Edward Eves calls a "patriotic" coming-together of various British firms: the General Steam Navigation Company , whose management included friends of Scott-Paine, redirected their SS Philomel to transport the crew and aircraft, while Castrol , directed by its founder Charles Cheers Wakefield , donated the team's oil and provided additional money towards its undertakings. The course consisted of thirteen laps, each of 28.521 km (17.722 mi), of
6466-434: The crash; it has also been suggested that the flutter may have been caused by the aircraft's ailerons being too large, or that Biard might have stalled by misjudging a turn. Britain made no entry into the 1926 Schneider Trophy, after a meeting of the Air Ministry, the Royal Aero Club and the Society of British Aircraft Constructors took the view that Britain would not be able to produce a race-winning aircraft in time. From
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#17327946240546572-446: The expansion of Supermarine and Mitchell's design team; in the aftermath of the victory, Mitchell hired Joseph Smith , who would eventually succeed him as chief designer after Mitchell's death in June 1937, as well as Alan Clifton, who became the firm's chief designer in the 1950s, and Arthur Shirvall, who specialised in designing floats for seaplanes, including those used on variants of the Spitfire . On 28 December 1922, Passaleva set
6678-448: The fifth and final lap, Rittenhouse flew at an average of 181.1 mph (291.5 km/h) to finish in 14 minutes and 11 seconds, his fastest time of the race; Biard similarly flew his fastest lap at 160.8 mph (258.8 km/h) in 15 minutes 59 seconds. Overall, he flew at an average of 157.17 mph (252.94 km/h), 12 mph (19 km/h) faster than his winning speed the previous year, and finished third, twenty minutes behind
6784-509: The first lap, which he completed in a time of 7 minutes and 10 seconds – the fastest lap time of any competitor in the race, representing an average speed of 149 mph (240 km/h) and reaching a maximum of over 160 mph (260 km/h). The second to depart was Piero Corgnolino, flying a Macchi M.7bis ; Arturo Zanetti departed third, flying relatively slowly with a first lap time of 7 minutes 31.7 seconds owing to concerns as to his machine's airworthiness. Biard flew fastest for
6890-498: The first seven laps, gradually dropping to a lap time of 7 minutes 29.3 seconds for the final lap. He won in a total time of 1 hour, 34 minutes and 51.6 seconds, flying at an average speed of 145.7 mph (234.5 km/h) and beating Passaleva by two minutes and 2.5 mph (4.0 km/h). Biard flew two additional laps of the course, as he had previously arranged with the race's timekeepers, to take his total distance to 400 km (250 mi) and so to set speed records for all of
6996-417: The first time in his life. Facilities to store the visiting aircraft had yet to be completed, which delayed the unloading of the S4 from the Minnewaska : eventually, a large tent was erected to serve as a makeshift hangar, and the aircraft was damaged when one of the tent-poles fell on its tail in bad weather. The captain of the British team, Charles B. Wilson, suggested to Biard that he withdraw in favour of
7102-439: The grounds of ill health, leaving at the rank of flying officer . He co-wrote a book on aviation, Modern Air Transport , with F. S. Stuart, which was published in 1946. In 1933, the Daily Mirror reported that Biard had two sons: Claude, then aged thirteen, and Michael, then aged six. By 1958, Biard and his wife had returned to Guernsey; he lived in later life in a bungalow near Rocquaine Bay. He died on 18 January 1966 in
7208-491: The island in 1908: the Jersey historian Barrie Bertram has suggested that this was a consequence of a criminal charge made against Lucy Delmaine in May, by which she was accused of taking an eighteen-year-old woman, Elizabeth Mary Price, into her home "for the purposes of debauchery" with her eldest son, Raymond, who was nineteen. In 1910, Biard went to the flying school run by the aviation pioneer Claude Grahame-White in Hendon , northwest London, to take lessons. According to
7314-479: The necessary funds, Supermarine entered a partnership with D. Napier and Son , who made the Sea Lion II's engine. This contrasted with their French and Italian rivals, whose teams were sponsored by the state; the Italian team was organised by Italo Balbo , the Blackshirt leader and future marshal of the Italian Air Force . Scott-Paine intended his company's entry into the competition to generate publicity and additional orders for its aircraft, and to reverse
7420-405: The new aircraft would be able to reach a speed of 160 miles per hour (260 km/h), which if attained would make it the fastest Britain aircraft to date. His modifications to the rudder and the fin caused the hull to have to be strengthened by adding an extra layer of varnished fabric stretched around the structure. The Sea Lion II was registered as G-EBAH . The Sea Lion II was entered into
7526-401: The previous day. The competition rules, however, forbade him from changing it. The event, like most major sporting competitions in Italy, was held in the afternoon, starting at 4pm. Conditions were calm and warm; Biard flew in a shirt and flannel trousers, following his usual habit of eschewing a flight suit . Pilots drew lots to determine the order in which they would fly. Biard was allocated
7632-551: The prince's tour of the Supermarine works. On 12 August 1924, Biard flew in the King's Cup, in a Seagull, with F. J. Bailey as his navigator. Biard and Bailey were forced to withdraw from the race when, flying over Newcastle at around 3,000 ft (910 m), a blade of the propeller broke off, striking Biard and briefly rendering him unconscious. Biard made the first flight of the Sparrow , Supermarine's first attempt at designing
7738-458: The race in 1922, placing third in 1923 and being forced to withdraw after crashing his aircraft, the experimental Supermarine S5 , the day before the 1925 race. Shortly beforehand, on 13 September 1925, he had set a world speed record of 226.75 mph (364.92 km/h) for a seaplane over 3 miles (4.8 km). After Supermarine's acquisition by Vickers (Aviation) Ltd in 1928, Biard lost his position as chief test pilot. He continued to work for
7844-456: The race, but Scott-Paine considered it unsporting to lodge a protest to that effect, and so Passaleva was allowed to compete. During the navigability trials of 11 August, which all aircraft passed, Biard continued his strategy of disguising his aircraft's capabilities by flying slowly and making unnecessarily wide turns. Passaleva suffered from vibration caused by his propeller , which was beginning to delaminate after being immersed in water
7950-640: The race, subsequently rebuilt (as the Sopwith Rainbow) into a landplane, and re-modified in 1922 into a seaplane. However, the Schneider's propeller spinner fell off during a test flight, forcing the pilot, Walter Longton , to land it on a golf course, where it overturned and was too badly damaged to enter the race. The other British entry was from Reginald Kenworthy, the chief test pilot for the Leeds -based Blackburn Aeroplane and Motor Company : Kenworthy
8056-546: The race. Biard tested the Supermarine Swan on its first flight on 25 March 1924. On 10 March 1925, he made the first flight of the Supermarine Southampton , in an aircraft numbered N9896, at Woolston. The aircraft's wing-tip float was damaged during the flight, leading to the adjustment of its angle of incidence and subsequent total redevelopment. The Southampton was subsequently adopted by
8162-406: The reserve pilot, Bert Hinkler , but Biard refused. On 25 October, the day before the race was due to be held, Biard stalled at approximately 800 ft (240 m) during a navigability trial. Observers saw him make a steep right-hand bank at high speed, which suddenly changed into a steep left-hand bank; the aircraft then began to stall and yaw, eventually entering a deep stall and making
8268-560: The same year as Biard joined. Biard's reports on the performance of Mitchell's designs were an important influence on the development of several of them. Biard flew passenger services to the Channel Islands , which may have included the first commercial flight to them. He was certainly the pilot of the first commercial flights to Guernsey , which commenced in August 1923 under the auspices of British Marine Air Navigation Co Ltd ,
8374-594: The school of Claude Grahame-White in Hendon , and gained his aviator's certificate in 1912. He joined and resigned from the Royal Flying Corps shortly before the outbreak of the First World War , then worked as a flying instructor at the Grahame-White school. In 1917, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service , where he instructed pilots, flew anti-submarine patrols and saw aerial combat over
8480-600: The snake bit Biard, and caused a commotion in which a visiting director of the Aeronautical Inspection Directorate cracked his prosthetic leg. By 1920, the Schneider Trophy was considered, in the words of the historian Terry Gwynn-Jones, "the world's most fabled air race". It had also become the only remaining international aviation race in 1920, after the French pilot Joseph Sadi-Lecointe had secured his country's third consecutive victory in
8586-411: The structure of the aircraft and enclosing the engine in a compact, aerodynamic cowling . The new aircraft, designated the Sea Lion III, used a 550 hp (410,000 W ) Napier Lion engine, 50 hp (37,000 W ) more powerful than that used for the Sea Lion II, and had its nose cone painted with the face and whiskers of a sea lion . On first seeing the aircraft, Biard predicted that it
8692-411: The succeeding days and further modifications to improve the aircraft's speed and handling. On his second flight, Biard reported reaching almost 150 mph (240 km/h), then the fastest speed ever recorded in a flying boat. While the French entry was forced to withdraw, citing their inability to bring their aircraft to Naples in time for the revised date, the Supermarine team were delivered by what
8798-743: The successful and safe race in 2005 RARA fought any and all efforts for the growth of this motorsport and any effort for a 2006 race there and one in Tucson Arizona. Powered paragliding or paramotor races have been organised by the Parabatix Sky Racers made up of the world's top paramotor pilots. The first occurring on 4 September 2010 in an airfield in Montauban , Southern France. These are foot-launched ram-air wings powered by small two-stroke engines , and allow for much smaller race venues such as city parks or beaches, where
8904-514: The team's base at the Southern Hotel , with concussion and having broken two ribs and rebroken his wrist: he played no part in the following day's race. The United States Army 's James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle , who would later be awarded the Medal of Honor for his 1942 raid on Japan , won the race, maintaining an average speed of 232 mph (373 km/h). The following day, Doolittle set
9010-532: The three Italian pilots had worked together to require him to gain height in order to overtake them. This version of events is inconsistent with the distances between the aircraft during the race: owing to his earlier start, Biard remained several miles behind Passaleva throughout the race and overtook the other pilots only once; Zanetti on Biard's fourth lap and Corgnolino on his sixth. The aviation historians David Coles and Peter Sherrard credit Biard's victory to his "superb flying skills", and his success with driving
9116-462: The trend by which Supermarine – which specialised in flying boats – had gained few government orders compared with its British rivals. At the time of the Italian announcement, the Sea Lion II – which was given the number N.157 – had not yet been air-tested: in its first test flight, Biard's engine cut out due to an air lock , and he was forced to make an emergency landing. Modifications to the fuel system were made, followed by further test flights over
9222-633: The two Americans. Rittenhouse won the race at a speed of 177 mph (285 km/h), followed by Irvine at an average speed of 173.46 mph (279.16 km/h). Biard flew the Sea ;Lion III to the Isle of Grain air station at RAF Kingsnorth , probably in 1924, to return it to the Air Ministry. It was then taken to the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment at Felixstowe . The aircraft
9328-853: The winning de Havilland Comet flown by C. W. A. Scott and Tom Campbell Black . In 1964 , Bill Stead , a Nevada rancher, pilot, and unlimited hydroplane racing champion, organised the first Reno Air Races at a small dirt strip called the Sky Ranch, located between Sparks, Nevada , and Pyramid Lake . The National Championship Air Races were soon moved to the Reno Stead Airport , and have been held there every September since 1966 . The five-day event attracts around 200,000 people, and includes racing around courses marked out by pylons for six classes of aircraft: Unlimited, Formula One , Sport Biplane, AT-6, Sport, and Jet. It also features civil airshow acts, military flight demonstrations, and
9434-468: Was "going to be a bit playful to get off the water": indeed, the aircraft tended to jump off the water before it had reached its full flying speed, possibly due to its higher take-off speed than its predecessor. Biard was the only British competitor in the race. Initially, Sopwith had entered the Sopwith Schneider , an aircraft originally intended to compete in the cancelled 1919 edition of
9540-645: Was almost disqualified as his aircraft bounced on chop on the sea surface, crossing the start line in the air, against the rule that aircraft could take off only after crossing it. The race committee initially announced his disqualification, but Supermarine's director James Bird lodged a protest and Sefton Brancker , the chair of the Royal Aero Club 's racing committee, had the decision overturned. Biard completed his first lap in 17 minutes 11.2 seconds, representing an average speed of 149.5 mph (240.6 km/h), against 15 minutes 27.6 seconds from Irvine. On
9646-479: Was commissioned as a probationary second lieutenant in the Royal Flying Corps , and was posted to its Central Flying School at Upavon on Salisbury Plain . He recounted in 1934 that, during his time at Upavon, the school's assistant commandant – the future head of the Royal Air Force, Hugh Trenchard – took him as a passenger in a test-flight of an experimental aircraft: the flight ended in
9752-620: Was commissioned into the Royal Naval Air Service ; he is named in the Navy List as holding the rank of probationary flight officer , which usually denoted a newly-recruited officer under training, in March 1918. He is believed to have undergone training at the RNAS's flight school in Vendôme , France. He served as a flying instructor and took part in anti-submarine patrols , flying a Wright seaplane. He later described dropping bombs against
9858-483: Was destroyed on 5 July of that year, when its pilot, Flying Officer E. E. Paull-Smith, attempted to take off without applying full throttle; this caused the aircraft to make one of its characteristic "bounces", rising 40 ft (12 m) into the air before crashing into the sea, killing Paull-Smith. The 1925 Schneider Trophy race was held on 24 October in Baltimore , with a course over Chesapeake Bay . Biard
9964-551: Was due to fly the Supermarine S4 , an aircraft designed by Mitchell and built in collaboration with Napier Lion and the Air Ministry. Biard had been the pilot for the S4's first flight, which took place on 24 August. The S4 used a monoplane design against the biplane configuration most common in contemporary seaplanes: no major international race had been won in a monoplane since the French aviator Maurice Prévost had won
10070-401: Was due to fly the 1925 Schneider Trophy, called him " fey ". Biard made a practice of shooting cormorants with a shotgun on the water around Supermarine's Hythe factory, often while riding as a passenger in a seaplane. In an anecdote related by Griffiths, Biard brought a snake hidden in a box to a dinner of the Supermarine design staff, and released the animal partway through the proceedings:
10176-461: Was financed privately by Supermarine's managing director, Hubert Scott-Paine , with the assistance of Napier (who provided the aircraft's engine), Shell (who donated the fuel free of charge), and the Castrol (who gave Supermarine the required lubricants ). Supermarine developed a racing flying boat as a modification of their Sea King II fighter , a single-seat biplane amphibian powered by
10282-466: Was forced to land in poor weather before passing the start line for the race on 12 September: Biard had noticed that its rivets were becoming loose and that the wings were in danger of falling off. On 12 March 1928, he witnessed, along with Mitchell, the death of his close friend Samuel Kinkead , an ace and former RNAS pilot, while attempting to set a speed record in the Supermarine S5 . Biard
10388-422: Was forced to withdraw after three aborted test flights: the aircraft capsized in the first, and overheated its engine in the second. On his third test flight, during navigability trials on 27 September, Kenworthy crashed into the water, spent almost a minute underwater and lost consciousness when pulled onto a rescue boat; his life was saved by his wife, who gave him artificial respiration . His aircraft –
10494-474: Was not unexpected, as the rules specified that whoever travelled furthest would be the winner if no-one completed the race. Léon Delagrange , who covered slightly more than half of the ten 1.2- kilometre (0.75 mi ; 0.65 nmi ) laps was declared the winner. Some other minor events were held before the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne in 22–29 August 1909 at Reims, France . This
10600-476: Was removed in 1922, allowing the construction of more specialised racing machines. Supermarine decided to construct a racing aircraft, the Sea Lion II , specifically for the event. This project was initiated towards the middle of 1921 by R. J. Mitchell at the behest of James Bird, a former naval aviator turned Supermarine director. The prototype aircraft was constructed secretly through the winter of 1921–22 in
10706-513: Was staying at his paternal grandfather's farm in northern France when the First World War broke out in August 1914. The farm was on a route used by refugees fleeing the fighting, and was burned by advancing German cavalry. He returned to England and to work at Grahame-White's school, where in May 1916 he piloted the Irish writer George Bernard Shaw on an acrobatic flight. On 2 December 1917, Biard
10812-490: Was submitted only shortly before the 1923 competition, at Cowes on the Isle of Wight , was held on 28 September. The company had sold the Sea Lion II to the Air Ministry following Biard's victory the previous year, but borrowed it back and tasked Mitchell with increasing its speed by 10 kn (12 mph). Mitchell made aerodynamic improvements including shortening its wingspan from 32 to 28 ft (9.8 to 8.5 m), redesigning its floats, moving its outer struts within
10918-596: Was subsequently quoted as blaming the crash on structural failure of the aircraft. In November 1928, Supermarine was acquired by its rival firm Vickers (Aviation) Ltd . In mid-1930, Biard was demoted, and it was decided that future Supermarine aircraft would be test-flown by Vickers pilots only. Pegram has suggested that Biard's demotion may have been a result of the new management's hostility to his well-known irreverent attitude and propensity for practical jokes. Biard later attributed his disfavour to his increasing age; he turned thirty-eight in 1930. The last prototype he flew
11024-496: Was the 1910 Los Angeles International Air Meet at Dominguez Field , just south of Los Angeles, from 10 to 20 January 1910 . The event was organised by pilots A. Roy Knabenshue and Charles Willard, who raised funding from railroad magnate Henry Huntington , and the Los Angeles Merchants and Manufacturers Association. William Randolph Hearst carried coverage of the event in his Los Angeles Examiner , and hired
11130-536: Was the Supermarine Air Yacht , in February 1930: his colleague Harry Griffiths reported a story that Biard refused to fully fuel the aircraft, believing that it would not be able to take off fully loaded, but rather pretended to do so by "pumping" fuel from empty barrels. The Air Yacht was purchased in 1932 by an American client, June Jewell James: she contracted Biard to fly it for her on a cruise of
11236-458: Was the first major international flying event, drawing the most important aircraft makers and pilots of the era, as well as celebrities and royalty. The premier event — the first Gordon Bennett Trophy competition — was won by Glenn Curtiss , who beat second-place finisher Louis Blériot by five seconds. Curtiss was named 'Champion Air Racer of the World'. The first air race in the United States
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