Royal Air Force Flight Officer H.R.D. Waghorn set down his Supermarine S-6 in England's Solent Channel on September 10, 1929, having flown an average of 328 mph around the course to capture Britain's second straight Schneider Trophy.

This prize was first offered in 1912 as a spur to the development of seaplanes. But by the late 1920s, the Schneider Trophy had evolved into the most prestigious award in international aviation, with governments spending millions of dollars to subsidize entries. France, Italy, and the U.S. had all won the Schneider Trophy in the past, as had Britain, but none of them had managed to win three out of five consecutive races to retire the trophy. Now Britain stood within reach of that goal.

However, in 1931, the British government stunned everyone by announcing they would no longer support Schneider Trophy efforts. Without that, the British couldn’t hope to develop a new racer. A £100,000 donation by Lady Houston shamed the McDonald government, and the next day, he announced to Parliament that support would be forthcoming.

Reginald J. Mitchell, Supermarine’s chief seaplane designer responsible for England's 1927 and 1929 winners, got to work. Within five months, he had delivered two new S-6Bs. Powered by 2,300-hp Rolls Royce engines, they were a brilliant improvement on the 1929 S-6.

Due to the sudden withdrawals of the French and Italian entrants, the British flew the S-6B unopposed at an average of 340 mph. England had succeeded in retiring the Schneider Trophy! Was it worth it? The British think so. In 1936, Mitchell introduced a fighter that incorporated many lessons learned in the Schneider Trophy days—it was nicknamed the “Spitfire.”