[MOC] Schneider Trophy - Curtiss R3C-2 (Baltimore 1925)

Hod Carrier · April 11

<-- Curtiss CR-3 (Cowes 1923)

The Schneider Trophy event moved across the Atlantic to Baltimore in the USA for the first time in 1924, with a course laid out across Chesapeake Bay, but sadly there was to be no competition. Following a series of technical failures and mishaps, neither the British, Italians or French were ready for the contest and all withdrew. It would have been possible for the Americans to win the Trophy unopposed but there was no interest in doing so, and the contest was postponed until 1925.

When the Schneider Trophy did finally convene on the shores of Chesapeake Bay, three teams were present; the USA, Britain and Italy. Given the technical supremacy that the Americans had shown two years previously, the Europeans had been bold with their designs and each had brought a monoplane design, the first to contest the Schneider Trophy since before the First World War, and had been especially daring in using cantilever (unbraced) wings. The Italians had brought a pair of Macchi M.33 monoplane flying boats that, in a nod to American dominance in the field, were powered by Curtiss D-12A engines, while the British had brought the Supermarine S.4 floatplane using the ever-dependable Napier Lion, now producing 700hp, backed up by a pair of Gloster III biplanes.

Ranged against the European entries was a trio of Curtiss R3C-2 floatplanes. This biplane racer had been developed from the R2C-1 landplane racer and had been ready to compete the previous year. The engines were the Curtiss V-1400 rated at 565hp, which was a development of the D-12 with a better power to weight ratio. It was a compact design that shared a lot of the advantages of the older CR-3. The US pilots were split between the Navy and Army, with the Navy represented by Lt. George Cuddihy and Lt. Ralph Ofstie and the Army by test pilot Lt. James Doolittle, who would go on to further great exploits such as leading a force of B-25 bombers taking off from the carrier USS Hornet to bomb Tokyo.

Conditions at Bay Shore Park were primitive, with very basic accommodation and canvas hangers which were almost wrecked in a gale. Fortunately, the weather improved enough for preliminary testing to commence. The first casualty was the ambitious Supermarine S.4 monoplane which crashed during testing. The official report stated that the crash was caused by the aircraft stalling, but Supermarine’s test pilot Henri Biard blamed wing or aileron flutter for the accident. Soon to follow was the Gloster III flown by Bert Hinkler, which was severely damaged in a heavy alighting, and Riccardo Morselli’s Macchi M.33 which suffered engine trouble.

The race itself ended up being a processional affair. The three Curtiss R3C-2s were the class of the field, but of the three it was Army pilot Doolittle who displayed the greatest skill. Using his experience as a test pilot to make the turns much tighter than his Navy colleagues he was able to lap faster than them. Unfortunately, both Navy planes failed to complete the distance due to mechanical troubles and had to retire during the latter stages of the race. Hubert Broad in the Gloster III had a trouble-free run to second while 1921 Schneider Trophy winner, Giovanni di Brigante in the sole remaining Macchi M.33, came a distant third. Despite exhaustive bench testing, the Italians had never been able to get the full rated power out of the American Curtiss engine, leaving their entry seriously down on power and no match for their competitors.

Once again, the USA had dominated the Schneider Trophy contest and demonstrated their supremacy. As if to hammer this home, Doolittle used his R3C-2 to raise the world speed record for seaplanes to 245.71mph.

(Note: Fans of Studio Ghibli production Porco Rosso will know that the eponymous hero flies an aircraft described as a Savoia S.21, but it is actually based on the Macchi M.33. Other Schneider Trophy aircraft feature, including the Curtiss R3C.)

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