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. This is a list of aviation-related events from 1931: Events Manufacturer Airspeed Ltd founded in York, England. ... Supermarine was a British ship and aircraft manufacturer. ... The Rolls Royce logo Rolls-Royce is a set of several companies, all deriving from the British automobile and aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls in 1906. ... Reginald Joseph Mitchell (20 May 1895-11 June 1937) was an aeronautical engineer, most notable for his design of the Supermarine Spitfire. ... Supermarine was a British ship and aircraft manufacturer. ... The Schneider Trophy (or prize or cup) for seaplanes was announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911 with a prize of roughly £1,000. ...

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 400hp to 2,300hp. 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 and an S.6 were the only participants. Seventeen days later an S6B broke the air speed record reaching 407.5 mph (655.67 km/h). The Royal Air Force (often abbreviated to RAF) is the air force branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Rolls Royce logo Rolls-Royce is a set of several companies, all deriving from the British automobile and aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Henry Royce and C.S. Rolls in 1906. ...

The S.6B is often hailed as giving the impetus to the development of the Supermarine Spitfire and the Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The still unpainted Spitfire protoype, K5054, shortly before its first flight The Supermarine Spitfire was a single-seat fighter used by the RAF and many Allied countries in World War II. Produced by Supermarine, the Spitfire was designed by R.J. Mitchell, who continued to refine it until his death... The Merlin is an aircraft engine built during World War II by Rolls-Royce. ...

An S.6B is on display at the Science Museum in London. The National Science Museum in London The Science Museum on Exhibition Road, Kensington, London, is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry. ...

External links

• RAF page on Schneider Trophy
• Air racing history