Supermarine S.5

E50053

The Supermarine S.5 was a British racing seaplane of the 1920s, designed by R.J. Mitchell for the Schneider Trophy and serving as an important precursor to the famous Spitfire fighter.


Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf racing seaplane
single-seat monoplane
achievement set world speed records for seaplanes in late 1920s
won 1927 Schneider Trophy for Great Britain
aircraftCategory floatplane
seaplane
competition 1927 Schneider Trophy
competitionRole British entry in 1927 Schneider Trophy
configuration low-wing monoplane
coolingSystem surface radiators on wings and floats
countryOfOrigin United Kingdom
crew single pilot
crewCapacity 1 person
designer R. J. Mitchell
designSignificance important step in development of high-speed monoplane fighters
engineConfiguration inline engine
engineCount 1
engineManufacturer Napier & Son
engineModel Napier Lion VIIB
Napier Lion VIID
era 1920s
firstFlightDate 1927-07-07
firstFlightLocation Southampton Water
floatConfiguration twin-float undercarriage
height approximately 3.20 m
influenced Supermarine Spitfire
length approximately 8.23 m
manufacturer Supermarine
material duralumin structure
metal hull
wooden wings with plywood skin
maximumSpeed approximately 281 mph
approximately 452 km/h
notablePilot Flight Lieutenant Oswald Worsley
Flight Lieutenant Sidney Webster
numberBuilt 3
numberOfSeats 1
operator Royal Air Force High Speed Flight
powerplantType piston engine
predecessor Supermarine S.4
primaryRole Schneider Trophy racer
propulsion single tractor propeller
raceLocation Venice
raceYear 1927
status retired
successor Supermarine S.6
tailConfiguration conventional tailplane
wingspan approximately 9.14 m
wingType cantilever wing


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