The son of a well-known French steel and arms manufacturer, Jacques Schneider was an aviation enthusiast who believed that floatplanes and flying boats were the most practical military and civilian design, since they could fly to any country with a coast, a river or a lake without requiring the construction of expensive airfields. On December 5, 1912, he declared a competition in which he appealed to manufacturers of marine aircraft to develop the world’s fastest airplane. The trophy, which he called the ‘Coupe d’Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, consisted of a silver sea wave 22 1/2 inches across, with the figures of Neptune and his three sons, over which was poised the winged, female personification of the spirit of flight, all set on a marble pedestal. In addition, the winner received 1,000 pounds sterling. The race — which soon came to be known simply as the Schneider Trophy — became one of the most prestigious annual competitions in history.

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The distance flown had to be at least 150 miles over a triangular route, but prior to that Schneider expected all entries to cover a distance of 547 yards in contact with the sea. In later contests the aircraft were supposed to sit in the water for six hours to test the integrity of their floats or hulls — and to race weighed down with whatever liquid they had accumulated if they developed leaks during that time. The ultimate stake in the contest was permanent possession of the trophy, which would go to the country or pilot that could win three consecutive races within five years.

Aviation was viewed at that time as one of the most exciting developments in the Western world, and seven countries — Belgium, France, Britain, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United States — applied for entry in the first Schneider Trophy race, which was held at Monaco on April 16, 1913. Although it was a gala affair, only four aircraft turned out for the actual race — all of them French, land-based airplanes with floats temporarily installed. The first to set out on the 6.4-mile course at 8 that morning was a Deperdussin, a midwing monoplane with a monocoque fuselage of three-ply tulipwood veneer, powered by a 160-hp, 14-cylinder Gnôme rotary engine, and flown by Maurice Prévost. After flying 28 laps at an average speed of 61 mph, Prévost taxied the last 500 yards before crossing the finish line, only to learn that he had been disqualified for not flying over it. An hour after Prévost took off, American pilot Charles Weymann had begun his run in one of two Nieuports entered in the race. He closed rapidly on Prévost’s overall time thanks to the Nieuport’s superior maneuverability, which allowed it to make tighter turns at each lap than the Deperdussin. Prévost was offered second place if he flew one more lap, but he petulantly refused.

Meanwhile, the other contenders were having their own problems. Roland Garros’ Morane-Saulnier bounced on the waves, throwing water over its fuselage until it finally slowed to a halt with a waterlogged engine. Louis Gaudart’s Nieuport repeatedly went 10 feet into the air only to come down again, until the plane finally plunged nose-first into the water and sank. That left only Weymann — until his oil line burst and he was forced to land just four laps short of victory. At that point Prévost changed his mind and flew the remaining lap. The 58 minutes that had elapsed between his false finish and the official one were added to his time, lowering his average speed to 45.71 mph, but he had won by default, and the trophy was proudly displayed in the headquarters of the Aero Club of France…for the first and last time.

The 1914 competition was held at Monaco again, with considerably more exhilarating results. The winning plane this time was British, Thomas O.M. Sopwith’s Tabloid floatplane, powered by a 100-hp Gnôme 9V rotary engine, flown by Sopwith test pilot C. Howard Pixton at an average speed of 86.83 mph. The trophy was moved to the Royal Aero Club.

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