Supermarine S.6B
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| Supermarine S.6B | ||
|---|---|---|
| Description | ||
| Role | Racing seaplane | |
| Crew | 1 | |
| First Flight | 1931 | |
| Manufacturer | Supermarine | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 28 ft 10 in | 8.89 m |
| Wingspan | 30 ft | 9.14 m |
| Height | ||
| Wing area | ||
| Weights | ||
| Empty | ||
| Loaded | ||
| Maximum takeoff | ||
| Powerplant | ||
| Engine | Rolls-Royce R | |
| Power | 2300 hp | 3225 kW |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 407.5 mph | 655.67km/h |
The Supermarine S.6B was a racing seaplane developed by Reginald Mitchell for the Supermarine company in order to win the Schneider Trophy in 1931. It was the last in the line of racing seaplanes developed by Supermarine and followed the S.4, S.5 and the S.6.
After pressure by Lucy, Lady Houston and several newspapers, the British Government belatedly agreed to support the Royal Air Force's entry to defend the trophy. There were only nine months to prepare and so Supermarine's designer, Reginald Mitchell, could only update the S.6 airframes that had won the trophy in 1929. Rolls-Royce increased the power of the R-Type engine by 400 hp to 2,300 hp. The improved aircraft was called Supermarine S.6B. The winning flight was piloted by Flt Lt JN Boothman at a speed of 340.08 mph (547.19 km/h), though the technical achievement is slightly tarnished by the fact no other teams competed; two S.6B and an S.6 were the only participants. Seventeen days later an S6B broke the world air speed record reaching 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h).
The S.6B is often hailed as giving the impetus to the development of the Supermarine Spitfire and the Rolls Royce Merlin engine.
An S.6B is on display at the Science Museum in London.
