A wonderfully told story of the Spitfire’s origins, the Schnieder Cup.

Author:	Jonathan Glancey
Publisher:	London : Atlantic Books, 2020.
ISBN:	9781786494191 1786494191
Characteristics:	343 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates: illustrations, portraits; 24 cm.
Source:	Yarra Plenty Library Service
Date Read:	1-Jul-2026

As for the author’s coverage of the Concorde, Wings Over Water is full of details and facts about the famous contest created in 1912 by in 1912 by Jacques Schneider, a French financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast. The competition was to test which aircraft was the fastest over a circuit. Aircraft had to take off from the water, as this was thought to be the most practical solution for aircraft at the time.

After World War II with the abundance of land airports throughout the world seaplanes lost their mainstream place and now have been relegated to where their use makes sense, like for example in Alaska where airports are harder to find than a water body in remote areas.

With their floats and hulls designed to work well in water, and “unstick” as they become airborne, the hydrodynamics clash with the aerodynamics. Sea planes were never going to be as fast as land planes. And everyday pilots weren’t keen on them either, on top of their piloting skills they also needed to know how to handle watercraft. And landing on water can be very dangerous. Too rough and the aircraft can crash with a rogue wave, and with still water the pilot has a difficult judging the height for landing.

The Schnieder Cup did much for aviation advancement. It started as a race between a number of nations, but towards the end it was only Italy and Britain competing. Often only the winner would complete the race, winning by default as the other competitors crashed or broke down. Germany never competed in the Schnieder Cup, yet its fighter aircraft in World War II were still a good match for the Spitfire’s speed.

After the Schnieder Cup the author, I believe goes off topic somewhat covering not only the Spitfire but also many of the other land aircraft of the time. He also spends quite some time mourning the loss of the Ospedale al Mare (“Hospital of the Sea”), located on the island of Lido in Venice; a beautiful venue for viewing the Schneider Trophy race.

Thankfully he returns to seaplanes and to happily what is available today. There are no true seaplanes, all are amphibious meaning they can land on water and land; and some are surprisingly affordable.

Conclusion

Wings Over Water was a thoroughly engaging read. It would have been better to be in a larger format with glossy pages to show the many beautiful aircraft being discussed in the text. They are well described, but I found myself Googling to see what many of the aircraft looked like, especially the Italian Piaggio P.7 which took off like a hydroplane boat; very difficult to imagine.

Anyway, Wings Over Water is a top read that’s highly recommended for those interested in engineering and aviation history.

Favourite Quotes

Like any well written book, Wings Over Water has plenty to choose from. Below are some of my favourites.

Some quotes from decades ago sadly show that not much changes, here we have Mitchell lamenting how much Britain has rested on its laurels.

Mitchell would, though, have taken to heart – even while feigning to dismiss it – the Eeyore-like warning of Charles Grey in The Aeroplane after the British triumph: “We have an unfortunate tendency in this country when we have done anything
good, to sit back and assume that we have done the very best that can be done, and that nobody else can do any better, instead of realising the plain cold fact that we have merely set a standard for somebody else to beat.”

Wings Over Water, page 220.

This quote is nice reference to Australia and its role in aviation, even if it’s just providing a challenging destination. There’s also a one of many references to the loss of value of currency over the years which I use in my Understanding Pre-decimal Currencies post.

The buzz around air races had clearly not quietened when, early in the morning of 20 October 1934, a crowd 60,000-strong gathered at the newly opened RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. At 6.30 a.m., the first of 20 aircraft took off on the first leg of the 11,300-mile MacRobertson Air Race to Melbourne. As long as there was no change of crew along the way and stops were made at Baghdad, Allahabad, Singapore, Darwin and Charleville, Queensland, aircraft of any size or weight were welcome to compete for the £15,000 prize (around £1 million in 2020 money) offered by Sir MacPherson Robertson, the Australian confectionery magnate of Freddo the Frog and Cherry Ripe chocolate fame.

Wings Over Water, page 245.

Howard Hughes was an amazing figure in history, he was a famous aviator and aircraft pioneer, including building the world’s largest flying boat, The Spruce Goose, which also flew the least, being completed well after the war it was intended for. This well-known quote is from Hughes whilst being interrogated for wasting taxpayer dollars.

Called to testify before the Senate War Investigating Committee in August 1947 over the use of government funds during the development and construction of the giant aircraft, Hughes said, ‘The Hercules was a monumental undertaking. It is the largest aircraft ever built. It is over five stories tall with a wingspan longer than a football field. That’s more than a city block. Now, I put the sweat of my life into this thing. I have my reputation all rolled up in it and I have stated several times that if it’s a failure, I’ll probably leave this country and never come back. And I mean it.’ Evidently, it had been all about him.

Wings Over Water, page 283

Bibliography

• Banks, Air Commodore F. R., ‘Fifty Years of Engineering Learning’ (RAeSoc Journal, March 1968)
• Barker, Ralph, The Schneider Trophy Races: The Extraordinary True Story of Aviation’s Greatest Competition (Chatto & Windus, 1971)
• Biard, Henri Charles, Wings (Hurst & Blackett, 1934)
• Brown, Captain Eric ‘Winkle’, Wings on My Sleeve (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006)
• Byttebier, Hugo T., The Curtiss D-12 Aero-Engine (Smithsonian Institution Press, 1972)
• D’Arcy Greig, Air Commodore (David), My Golden Flying Years, ed. Franks, Norman with Muggleton, Simon (Grub Street Publishing, 2011)
• Eves, Edward, The Schneider Trophy Story (The Crowood Press, 2001)
• Harper, Harry, The Aeroplane in War (Blackie & Son, 1943)
• James, Derek N., Schneider Trophy Aircraft 1913-1931 (Fonthill Media, 2015)
• Käsmann, Ferdinand C. W., World Speed Record Aircraft: The Fastest Piston-Engined Landplanes since 1903 (Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990)
• Le Corbusier, Aircraft (The Studio, 1935)
• Mondey, David, The Schneider Trophy (Robert Hale, 1975)
• Orlebar, Wing Commander Augustus Henry, Schneider Trophy (Seeley, Service & Company, 1933)
• Pegram, Ralph, Schneider Trophy Seaplanes and Flying Boats: Victors, Vanquished and Visions (Fonthill Media, 2012)
• Pegram, Ralph, Supermarine Rolls-Royce S6B: Owners’ Workshop Manual (J. H. Haynes & Co, 2018)
• Roussel, Mike, The Quest for Speed: Air Racing and the Influence of the Schneider Trophy Contests 1913-31 (The History Press, 2016)
• Rubbra, A. A., Rolls-Royce Piston Aero Engines: A Designer Remembers (Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, 1990)
• Scott, Phil, The Pioneers of Flight: A Documentary History (Princeton University Press, 1999)
• Stainforth, Flight Lieutenant G. H., et al., The Book of Speed (B. T. Batsford Ltd, 1934)

Further Reading