Supermarine S.4

infobox Aircraft
name = Supermarine S.4
type = Racing seaplane
manufacturer = Supermarine
caption =
designer = Reginald Mitchell
first flight = 1925
introduced = 1925
retired = 1925
produced =
number built = 1
status = Destroyed
unit cost =
primary user =
more users =
developed from =
variants with their own articles =

The Supermarine S.4 was a 1920s British single-engined single-seat monoplane racing seaplane built by Supermarine to compete in the 1925 Schneider Trophy. It crashed and was destroyed before the competition started.

History

The Supermarine S.4 was designed by Reginald Mitchell to compete for the 1925 Schneider Trophy race. Built by Supermarine at Woolston the S.4 was an all-wooden monoplane seaplane with an unbraced cantilever wing and monocoque fuselage, powered by one 680 hp Napier Lion VII engine. As a monoplane seaplane, it was in marked contrast with the biplane Supermarine Sea Lion flying boats which Mitchell had designed for previous Schneider Trophy races, which won in 1922 and came third behind the American Curtiss CR seaplanes in 1923.

Registered "G-EBLP", Jackson 1988, p.317.] it first flew on 24 August 1925. Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.175.] On 13 September 1925 on Southampton Water it raised the world's seaplane speed record (and the British speed record) to 226.752 mph (365.071 km/h). Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.178.]

It, together with two Gloster III biplanes was shipped to the United States of America for the 1925 race, with high hopes of a British victory. [ Flight 24 September 1925, p.609.] During trials at Bay Shore Park, Baltimore on 23 October 1925, piloted by H C Biard it was seen to sideslip into the water from 200 ft and was wrecked. [ Flight 12 November 1925, p.747.] Biard, who survived with two broken ribs, stated that he lost control following violent wing vibration. Andrews and Morgan 1987, pp.179-180.] The race was won two days later by Lieutenant James Doolittle, flying a Curtiss R3C at an average speed of 232.573 mph (374.443 km/h), faster than the S.4's world record of a month before. Flight 29 October 1925, p.703.]

In film

Very little film and photographic evidence of the S.4 survives, but 5 minutes of film are preserved within Leslie Howard's Spitfire/First of the Few starring himself and David Niven.

Drawings, and construction film, as well as film of the first take off and flight are preserved within the feature film.

The side-slip instability of the S.4 is quickly understandable to the trained eye, as wing dihedral of the airframe was minimal. Also, fin area was equally minimal. Therefore the snap-roll at side-slip was perhaps inevitable in the light of modern knowledge.Fact|date=July 2008 Other sources have suggested the accident was due to flutter, of which the vibration noted by Biard was a symptom. Andrews and Morgan, p.180.]

pecifications

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=Supermarine Aircraft since 1914 Andrews and Morgan 1987, p.203.]
crew=1
length main= 26 ft 7¾ in
length alt= 8.12 m
span main=30 ft 7½ in
span alt= 9.33 m
height main= 11 ft 8½ in
height alt=3.57 m
area main= 139 ft²
area alt= 12.9 m²
empty weight main=2,600 lb
empty weight alt= 1,179 kg
loaded weight main= 3,191 lb
loaded weight alt= 1,447 kg
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight
engine (prop)=Napier Lion VII
type of prop=12-cylinder water cooled W-block engine
number of props=1
power main=680 hp
power alt=507 kW
max speed main=239 mph
max speed alt=385 km/h, 208 knots
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=23.0 lb/ft²
loading alt=112 kg/m²
power/mass main=0.21 hp/lb
power/mass alt=0.35 kW/kg
armament=

ee also

Aircontent
related =
* Supermarine S.5
similar aircraft =
lists =
see also =
* Schneider Trophy

References

Notes

Bibliography

* cite book |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors=
title= The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985)
year= |publisher= Orbis Publishing|location=
issn=
*cite journal
last = | first = | title = The Schneider Cup Seaplane Race: British Representatives Leave on Saturday | journal = Flight | volume = | issue = | pages = pp.609-614 | publisher = | location = London | date = 24 September 1925 | url = http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1925/1925%20-%200609.html
*cite journal
last = | first = | title = The 1925 Schneider Trophy Race | journal = Flight | volume = | issue = | pages = p.703| publisher = | location = London | date = 29 October 1925 | url = http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1925/1925%20-%200703.html
*cite journal
last = | first = | title = The 1925 Schneider Trophy Race:"Flight" Correspondent's Special Account | journal = Flight | volume = | issue = | pages =pp.747-752 | publisher = | location = London | date = 12 November 1925 | url = http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1925/1925%20-%200747.html
*
* cite book
last= Jackson|first= A.J.|title= British Civil Aircraft since 1919|year= 1988|publisher= Putnam|location= London |isbn=0 85177 818 6