The Quest for Speed: Air Racing and the Influence of the Scheider Trophy Contests 1913-31

Roussel, Mike

ISBN 10: 0750967919 / ISBN 13: 9780750967914

Published by The History Press, 2016

About this Item

pp. 288.

Seller Inventory # 26374805637

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Quest for Speed: Air Racing and the Influence of the Scheider Trophy Contests 1913-31
• Publisher: The History Press
• Publication Date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0750967919
• ISBN 13: 9780750967914
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

This new book charts the impact of the Schneider Trophy on aircraft design, and how air racing focused both flying skills and aircraft capability. In the early 20th century, interest in flying, building, and competing aircraft developed at a furious pace. The Trophy’s enforced break during World War I saw the loss of some of the pilots and an increased focus on speed in aircraft construction; when the contests restarted in 1919, a new breed of pilots took part, with combat and aerobatic experience. During the "Golden Years of Aviation," there were clashes between government sponsorship and private venture, and resounding defeats that focused designers such as Reginald Mitchell into designing specific racing machines. The government eventually began to sponsor the British entries, and the RAF HighSpeed Flight was formed to fly the racers, finally winning the Trophy outright in 1931, when the shadow of war was looming.

About the Author

Mike Roussel is the author of Joe Smith: Spitfire’s Forgotten Designer and the co-author of Shipwrecks of the Cunard Line and The Union Castle Line. He is an active supporter of Solent Sky Aviation Museum.