Speedbirds - what if they ran Schneider trophy races in 21st century...

[Leading Observer]

They should have another go at the Piaggio P.7 - with modern materials it would probably work

[PR19_Kit]

Hell yes, the P.7 was the only vehicle capable of holding the Air and Water Speed Records at the same time! 

[TsrJoe]

ooh i like the Lightning artwork definately different 

maybe we should resurrect this as a theme build ? any takers ?

previous links :

1940's ... http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,6946.0/highlight,schneider+trophy.html
             http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,28728.msg434912/highlight,schneider+trophy.html#msg434912
1950's ... http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,11825.msg162083/highlight,schneider+trophy.html#msg162083
             http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,17945.0/highlight,schneider+trophy.html
1970's ... http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,19938.0/highlight,schneider+trophy.html

[MilitaryAircraft101]

Re TB/GB, I would be in for that! Definately.
Here's another profile,
After winning the 1961, 1965 and 1967 cups, the BAC-Lotus team expected easy pickings with their extremely quick modified BAC Lightning, but they found quickly that sustaining speeds like that was nigh on impossible while you are trying to turn, and found that they'd have to slow down in the corners to make a turn, but as the Lightning was designed as an interceptor, it's low speed turn wasn't particularly flash. Even with the problems in turns, the BAC-Lotus team clinched 3rd place, narrowly behind 2nd, the underdogs, Macchi-Ferrari and their team's 326 racer, which had improved speed, from Mach 0.8 to mach 1.4 sustained. After seeing the success of a trainer, the BAC Strikemaster had similar adaptions to the 326 for the 1971 race, though it's speed was only Mach 1.1 after the upgrades (from mach 0.. The winner of the 1969 race though, was the Avro independent team, with their Arrow. It was modified to be a seaplane, though it had reduced speed compared to the others' increased, and speed went from Mach 1.98 to Mach 1.65, this did incorporate design feaures for higher maneuverability though.

[PR19_Kit]

Did the US Navy enter their developed Sea Dart in this contest?

Perhaps sponsored by Penzoil and STP...... 

[raafif]

the 2015 - W.W.W. Schneider Cup !!

In order to show off the superior speed of the contenders to best effect, it is decided to hold this event on a global scale -- a course that encircles the whole World !!  Consequently the race becomes known as the "World Wide Wace" with sponsors coming from various organisations with global operations, primarily Internet & computer companies.  The flight-path starts in California USA, and passes over Moscow, Berlin, Paris, London, NewYork - with the finish in Hawaii.  This is a long event & many entries are small aircraft, so both air-to-air (over land) & on-the-water refuelling is allowed.

America's entry is one of their retired SR-71s.  To suit it for a water start, it's fitted with floats that can be jettisoned after take-off, thus leaving the airframe clean for maximum speed.  "What about the landing" I hear you ask ??  Well there is a loophole in the rules -- they say the aircraft has to land on the water - however the aircraft has already been written-off completely so, as long as it "crosses the finish-line & lands on the water" & the crew get out, the race can be won with no monetary loss.  The shape of the fuselage allows the SR- to come in low & use ground-effect to make a soft "pancake" on the water, remaining afloat long enough for the 2-man crew's exit.
Google & IBM share major sponsorship of the SR(Schneider Racer)-71.

Russia's entry is the Koncordeski, which is dragged out of the Monino "boneyard" & refurbished.  The Soviets also utilise a loophole in the rules -- Koncordeski has hydro-skis fitted.  This allows the aircraft to start from a hard slipway covered with sand -- by "flashing" the afterburners of its newly-developed engines & firing small jetissonable boosters, it achieves a high enough speed to "jump" onto the water & hydroplane while attaining take-off speed.  Landing would be a reversal with a water landing, then hydroplane over to a beaching.
As a back-up plan a Tu-22 "Blinder" is modified for take-off & landing on the Navy's carrier, Kirov -- however this plan is annulled by the Schneider International Committee.
This entry is sponsored by Tupelov, the KGB & the new Putin International Airways (formerly Aeroflot).

[jcf]

I understood that the clutches needed to control the propellers were the problem. Perhaps the pilot didn't have enough hands to operate them.

Nope, evidently it was a seals problem, the clutches kept filling with oil.

[jcf]

What I'd like to see: a race using airliners. 

'Twas done, the MacRobertson Air Race.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacRobertson_Air_Race

[McColm]

 PS-1, Shorts Sunderland or twin Otter our in my stash.

[Tophe]

For my 50th birthday, I got (as a nice colleague gift) the book Speedbirds Volume 1.2, all devoted to imaginary sea-racers, and it is wonderful. Alas it is out of print but you find it at abebooks, second-hand.
My favorite what-if seaplanes in it are the twin-boom Bernard B8-1 & B8-2, taking off from a racing car and "landing" on water...:

[scooter]

What I'd like to see: a race using airliners. 

'Twas done, the MacRobertson Air Race.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacRobertson_Air_Race

So how about a Centenary (and Melbourne's Bicentenary Celebration) MacRobertson Air Race?

[perttime]

My favorite what-if seaplanes in it are the twin-boom Bernard B8-1 & B8-2, taking off from a racing car and "landing" on water...:

It is a good one.
I'm pretty sure the car is just a transport to get the seaplane to the races. Your scan shows the front prop slotted into a hole in the car top.

There's dome drawings of that one - and more - at:
http://type-01.blogspot.fi/search/label/Speedbirds

[ericr]

looks like a beautiful book indeed !

[Tophe]

I don't know if everybody already knows about Piaggio P.7, or Piaggio-Pegna P.c.7, an Italian candidate for the 1929 race. Just enough fuselage volume to keep it from sinking, water prop and hydrofoils to get it high enough to start the airscrew ... They didn't get it to fly. I understood that the clutches needed to control the propellers were the problem. Perhaps the pilot didn't have enough hands to operate them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaggio_P.7
http://hydravion-modele.com/Fichier_histoire/1920_piaggiopc7.htm

In this book Speedbirds Volume 1.2 is a modern equivalent of the Piaggio half-submarine seaplane:

[Weaver]

I suspect this artwork is of a couple of the Speedbirds machines, but I don't see it in the thread, so here goes:







The artist seems to be called 'Shelbs' (?)

I got them from, believe it or not, a wind turbine blog where they were posted as 'inspiration': http://customwind.blogspot.com/2014/11/vintage-racing-float-plane-inspiration.html