The Schneider Cup racers

By Nico • June 14, 2008

Schneider Cup racer photo and it shows the SPAD S.20 as entered in the 1919 race at Bournemouth. Pilot was Sadie Lecointe but it never started during this year and the next year it was already outdated! The plane was fitted with a 260 hp Hispano-Suiza 42 engine.

Bernard HV-40.01

After the initial success of Maurice Prévost during the first Schneider Cup race in 1913, the French never dominated this event any longer. In none of the races after 1913, they even managed to finish! The last year that France officially entered the Schneider Cup race was in 1923 at Cowes, U.K. where they initially entered three planes: the Latham L.1, the CAMS 38 and the CAMS 36. All three racers were biplane flying boats at a time the floatplanes came in to win!

Only the CAMS 38 managed to start during the race where it already retired after one lap. The Latham L.1 did not start because of an engine failure while the CAMS 36 was damaged in a collision before the race. Determined to make a last effort to win the Schneider Cup, the French Ministry of Marine established a special training base at Etang de Berre on Lake Hourtin near Marseille and a special group of pilots was selected for the 1929 event. Three aircraft manufacturers, Bernard, Dewoitine and Nieuport-Delage were invited to design and construct a new generation of winning floatplane racers using the same configuration as the successful Italian and British racers. However, all machine were too late available to enter the 1929 race and the 1931 event was selected as the next occasion. Unfortunately, the French team lost their leader in a fatal crash with the Bernard HV.120. Another pilot died of peritonitis at the very young age of 34. Also, none of the racers was ready to participate in the 1931 race at Calshot UK at finally the French team had to withdraw.

On the photo we see the HV-42.01, which was in fact the converted HV-41

On the photo we see the Bernard HV-40.01 racer in the hangar at Berre fitted with an 800 hp Gnome-Rhône radial engine with closed helmeted cowlings for each cylinder, just as had been done with the British Short Crusader racer. The HV-40 flew for the first time in July 1931 and only one was built. Since it was already apparent before its first flight it was not a competitive machine with its maximum speed of only 400 km/h, it was used as a trainer by the pilot team.

A further developed Société des Avions Bernard float racer was designed by Roger Robert and S.G. Bruner under the type designation HV-41. Powered by an 1,000 hp Hispano-Suiza ‘Spécial’ the aircraft flew for the first time in August 1929. After the crash of Adjutant Florentin Bonnet in a Nieuport-Delage NiD-62, France withdrew from the contest of 1929 and the H.V.41 was used as a training aircraft for the 1931 contest. On the photo we see the HV-41 at Hourtin during engine tests in 1929. The plane could reach a maximum speed of 450 km/h. Only one was built.

On the photo we see HV-120.02 F-AKAL at Etang de Berre before its fatal crash in July 1931

Originally it was the intention to enter the 1929 race with a modified HV-41 with a more powerful engine with improved cooling. In total three of these racers were built, where the original HV-41 was converted up to HV-42 standards. Fatalities during flight testing and because it was already apparent they were not fast enough were the reasons none of the HV-42′s were finally entered into the 1929 race.

For the 1931 race at Calshot, Hispano-Suiza hadprepared a new racing engine, the 1680 hp 18R. Two new Bernard floatplane racers were built and fitted with the new engine under the type designations HV-120.01 and HV-120.02. They carried the civil registrations F-AKAK and F-AKAL. HV-120.01 had a geared engine while the second machine had a direct drive to the three-bladed propeller. The HV-120 was flown for the first time on 25 March 1930 and could reach a speed of 540 km/h. The HV.120.02 crashed on 30 July 1931 at Berre, killing the flight section commander Georges Bougault. Again, none of the racers of the French were ready in time for the race at Calshot and they had no other option than withdrawing.

The photo was taken at the Bernard workshop at La Courneuve

The ultimate Bernard Schneider Cup racer was the HV-220 intended for the 1931 race. It was planned with a new Lorraine 12Rcr ‘Radium’ liquid-cooled engine offering some 2000-2200 hp. This would give the plane a maximum speed of some 640 km/h. Unfortunately for Bernard the Radium engine was never supplied although the HV-220 airframe was completed including its contra-rotating two-bladed propellers. A further development was the HV-320 with a cockpit totally sunken in the fuselage to produce minimal drag. This type was intended to break the world speed record, but the record set by Francesco Agello in the Macchi-Castoldi MC-72 must have shattered these French dreams and the airframe was never completed. On the photo we see the completed Bernard HV-220 without its engine fitted, although this is not visible.

As a backup for the Bernard HV-220 and the Nieuport-Delage ND.650, Dewoitine also constructed a last generation Schneider Cup racer as the HD-412. Planned with the same Lorraine Radium engine as intended for the HV-220 it would have been capable of reaching speeds of some 575-600 km/h. The fate of the HD.412 was the same as for the Bernard HV-220: the special Radium engine was never fitted although the airframe was fully completed and the plane never flew. So ended a very unlucky and frustrating period for the French aviation industry which was clearly incapable to produce a competing Schneider Cup racer!

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Categories: Files
Tags: A-3080, Avro 539, Bernard HV-40.01, Bernard HV-41, Bernard HV-42.01, Blackburn Pellet, C-29 racer, CAMS 36, CR-3, Crusader, Cup, Dewoitine HD-412, Doolittle, Fiat C-29, Gloster III, Gloster VI, HD-412, HV-120.02 F-AKAL, HV-42, Kirkham-Williams, Macchi M-17, Macchi M-39, Macchi M-52, Macchi M-67, Macchi M-7, Macchi-Castoldi MC.72, Machi M-19, Mercury, MM129, Nico Braas, Orlebar, Piaggio P.7, racers, S.4, S.5, S.6B, Savoia-Marchetti S.65, Schneider, Sea Lion III, SPAD S.20, Stainford

About the Author

Nico

Born: 21.05.1946 Nationality: Dutch Flying experience: gliders only; more than 1100 starts or 215 hours since 1991 on the following types: two-seaters: Schleicher ASK-13, Schleicher ASK-21, Grob Twin Astir Single seaters: Schleicher K-8c, PZL-Bielsko SZD-51-1 Junior, Rolladen-Schneider LS-4b, Pilatus B4-PC-11, Schleicher ASK-23 Interest: aircraft built as prototype or in small numbers only Photos: more than 10,000 world-wide covering the period 1930 up to now Archive: technical info and 3-view drawings on most types; more than 850 books on aviation.

13 Responses to “The Schneider Cup racers”

US racers - The Aerodrome Forum
June 15, 2008 at 6:38 pm | Permalink

[...] you said is good Kirk- you have full story here: The Schneider Cup racers __________________ Srecko Bradic Owner: http://www.Letletlet-warplanes.com Owner: [...]
Bob Fortnam
July 1, 2008 at 10:42 pm | Permalink

A fantastic summary of the Schneider Racers.
Request info ref: Bill Odom: I believe he crashed at the Cleveland Air Races, but I cannot recall the year.
I was there, and saw Jacklie Cochrane -in stoking feet- up on the shiny-green wing of Bill Odoms’ Mustang, as he was preparing for T.O. As I recall, he was lost on the third circuit?
Maikeru
August 26, 2008 at 4:05 pm | Permalink

Great read! Bookmarked for sure m8!
Yurii
September 10, 2008 at 11:54 pm | Permalink

Great reading! And I have one question – may I translate this text in Russian and put it into my blog – with links on this page and all the credits, of course.
admin
September 11, 2008 at 12:17 am | Permalink

No problem Yurii- go ahead
Olivier Froissant
October 22, 2008 at 4:30 pm | Permalink

Super Web!, I´m Starting a small “OMH operation Manual – Part H ( for History)
Just for our Flying Crew!..I´m 42, Captain and I see that many college have lack in aviation history !

I would like to send you a PDF about the Thema “Schneider Race” and hope that´s you allowed me to publish them!

With Best regards olivier!
admin
October 22, 2008 at 4:41 pm | Permalink

Dear Olivier,

Thank you very much for your kind words. I would be glad to accept your pdf offer and to share with others.

Cheers

Srecko
Joe Jopling
November 17, 2008 at 2:01 am | Permalink

Wonderful story! Well done! Are larger photos available on the net? The photo of the S.4 in the water is only the second one I have seen of that airplane.
admin
November 17, 2008 at 5:34 am | Permalink

Thank you for kind comment
Rob Caso
February 5, 2009 at 8:40 am | Permalink

Gentlemen – I am looking for an accurate 3-view drawing with cross sections if possible of the Macchi MC-72 Schneider Cup racer. Could you please advise a source
Thank you
Rob Caso
Anon
July 14, 2009 at 4:55 pm | Permalink

Rob Caso,
The book “Ali D’Italia #26, IDROCORSA MACCHI Schneider Cup Racers” by Giorgio Apostolo and Gianni Cattaneo has two different three-view versions of the MC-72.
One twelth of 2010 has gone « srfc.org.au
February 1, 2010 at 2:47 am | Permalink

[...] distant from Goražde, the Adriatic Sea holds a fascination. The Schneider cup was associated with it. I intend to cycle along it, one [...]
Jason Dechaineux
August 23, 2010 at 3:50 am | Permalink

Hi, great article on the Schneider Trophy and those magnificent men and machines.
One small correction, you mentioned the “American” test pilot of the Gloster – Bert Hinkler. He is actually an Australian. I only know because they have a wonderful museum built as a tribute to his aviation trailblazing in his hometown of Bundaberg in Queensland. Trivial reply I know, but he was an aviation pioneer to us Aussies. Cheers.