Supermarine S.5

The Supermarine S.5 was a British single-engined, single-seat racing seaplane of the 1920s, designed by Reginald Mitchell for the Schneider Trophy after the S.4 was lost before it could race. Wind tunnel testing shaped the design, which had a particularly low level of drag for a floatplane of its day and several unconventional features, and it made greater use of metal than its predecessor, although a wooden wing was used because of the short development window. The first of three aircraft made its maiden flight on 7 June 1927. Two S.5s finished first and second at the 1927 Schneider Trophy contest, and the type competed again in later years. One crashed fatally on 12 March 1928 during a world air speed record attempt, killing Flight Lieutenant Samuel Kinkead. It was the progenitor of the line of racers that led to the Spitfire, and a flight-worthy replica was built in the 1970s.