Britannia Trophy

Last updated

The Britannia Trophy is a British award presented by the Royal Aero Club for aviators accomplishing the most meritorious performance in aviation during the previous year. [1]

Contents

In 1911 Horatio Barber, who was a founder member of the Royal Aero Club, was given £100 for a commercial flight. Not wanting to tarnish his amateur status, he presented the money to the club for the trophy. [2]

The first award was presented in 1913 to Captain C.A.H Longcroft of the Royal Flying Corps for a non-stop flight from Montrose to Farnborough in a Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2a. [2] The trophy has not been awarded every year, particularly during the first and second world wars, and has been awarded jointly and to teams, as well as individuals.

In 1952 the Royal Aero Club presented plaques to all the surviving holders who previously only held the trophy for one year and were not given a permanent memento. [2]

Recipients

YearRecipientAccomplishmentAircraft
1913Cptn C. A. H. Longcroft, Royal Flying Corps Non-stop 445 miles, Montrose and Farnborough RAE B.E.2a
1914Sqn Cdr J. W. Sedden, Royal Naval Air Service Non-stop flight of 325 miles, Isle of Grain to Plymouth Maurice Farman Seaplane
1915–1918Not Awarded
Cptn Sir |John Alcock First trans-atlantic flight, (awarded posthumously) Vickers Vimy
1920Lt H. J. L. (Bert) Hinkler Non-stop flight of 650 miles, Croydon - Turin in 9 hr 35 minutes Avro Baby
1921Not Awarded
1922 F. P. Raynham A soaring flight of 1hr 53 minutes from Firle
1923 Alan Cobham A flying tour of the Middle East and North Africa covering 12,000 miles in 130 hours Airco DH.9C
1924Wg Cdr Stanley Goble and Flt Lt Ivor McIntyre Circumnavigation of Australia Fairey III
1925Alan Cobham London to Rangoon and return, 17,000 miles in 210 hours flight time de Havilland DH.50
1926Sir Alan CobhamEmpire route survey flight Rochester to Melbourne de Havilland DH.50J
1927Lt R. R. Bentley London to Cape Town - 7,250 miles de Havilland DH.60 Moth
1928Lt H. J. L. (Bert) HinklerFirst flight to Australia in a light aircraft. London to Darwin - 11,005 miles in 15 days Avro 581E Avian
1929Hon. Dame Mary Bailey Return flight from Croydon to Cape Town, including a tour of South Africa - 18,000 milesde Havilland DH.60 Moth
1930Sqn Ldr Charles Kingsford Smith For two flights; a West bound trans-atlantic flight Dublin to Harbour Grace (Fokker) and Heston to Darwin (Avro) Fokker F.VIIb/3m and Avro 616 Avian IVA
1931Lt H. J. L. (Bert) Hinkler New York City to London via South America and the South Atlantic, 10,560 miles de Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth
1932Capt. C. F. Uwins Setting the Class C world altitude record height for aeroplanes of 43,976 ft Vickers Vespa
1933 J. A. Mollison A flight from Lympne to Port Natal, Brazil of 4,600 milesde Havilland DH.80A Puss Moth
1934 C. W. A. Scott and T. Campbell Black For winning the speed section of the MacRobertson Air Race from Mildenhall to Melbourne de Havilland DH.88 Comet
1935 Jean Batten A flight from England to South America including the fastest solo South Atlantic crossing and, the first by a woman Percival Gull
1936Jean BattenA flight from England to New Zealand, 14,000 milesPercival Gull
1937Fg OffA.E. Clouston For two flights; the Istres (Marseilles) - Damascus - Paris race where he came fourth, and for a London - Cape Town flight of 45 hours with a return of 57+12 hoursde Havilland DH.88 Comet
1938Sqn Ldr R. Kellett Record long distance flight from Ismailia to Darwin Vickers Wellesley
1939 Alex Henshaw Record return flight - London to Cape Town Percival Mew Gull
1940–1944Not Awarded
1945Grp Cpt H. J. Wilson World Speed Record of 606 mph (975 km/h) at Herne Bay Gloster Meteor IV
1946Grp Cpt E. M. Donaldson World Speed Record of 606 mph (975 km/h) at Littlehampton Gloster Meteor IV
1947Sqn Ldr H. B. Martin and Sqn Ldr E. B. SismoreLondon to Cape Town record in 21 hr 32 min at 279 mph (449 km/h) de Havilland Mosquito PR34 (a modified Mosquito with 1710 hp RR Merlin 113A engines for "dedicated photo-reconnaissance")
1948Grp Cpt John Cunningham Class C Aeroplane height record at 59,445 ft (18,119 m) de Havilland Vampire (modified)
1949Not Awarded
1950P. A. WillsOn the occasion of his fourth victory in the British National Gliding Championships
1951Captain Oscar Philip JonesSenior British Overseas Airways Corporation pilot with 30 years as an airline Captain flying nearly 20,000 hours and covering over 3,000,000 mi (4,800,000 km)
1952Wg Cdr R. P. Beaumont, Flt Lt P. Hillwood and Sqn Ldr D. A. WatsonFirst double crossing of the Atlantic within 24 hours English Electric Canberra B5
1953Sqn Ldr R. L. E. Burton and Flt Lt D. H. GannonThe winning of the speed section of the London to Christchurch, NZ race (approx 11,781 mi (18,960 km))English Electric Canberra PR3
1954Not Awarded
1955Cpt J. W. Hackett and P. J. MoneypennyRecords set for a return London - New York flight with a total time of 14 hr 22 minsEnglish Electric Canberra PR7
1956 L. P. Twiss The world speed record of 1,132 mph (1,822 km/h). First flight officially timed at over 1,000 mph (1,600 km/h) Fairey Delta 2
1957M. Randrup and W. ShirleySetting a height record (for Class C aircraft) of 70,300 ft (21,400 m)English Electric Canberra B2
1958Grp Cpt John Cunningham and P. BuggeDevelopment flying of the de Havilland Comet de Havilland Comet
1959 No. 111 Squadron RAF For aerobatic display formation works Hawker Hunter F6
1960T. W. Brooke-SmithFor the first vertical takeoff, transition to normal flight and vertical landing in this aircraft Short SC.1
1961 Anne and D. BurnsFor their achievements at the World Gliding Championships
1962Not Awarded
1963 A. W. Bedford Achievements as Chief Test Pilot of the Hawker Aircraft Company, particularly in development of VTOL aircraft Hawker Siddeley P.1127 and Harrier
1964Not Awarded
1965The Red Arrows Meritorious service as an aerobatic team Folland Gnats
1966Not Awarded
1967 Sheila Scott On the establishment of over 100 point-to-point international records Piper Comanche [ citation needed ]
1968Sqn Ldr R. G. Hanna Leadership of The Red Arrows for three seasonsFolland Gnat
1969–1972Not Awarded
1973D. P. DaviesAs Chief Test Pilot of the Air Registration Board, granting airworthiness certificates to commercial aircraft for many years
1974–1976Not Awarded
1977N. Todd, B. Walpole and S. BoltonThe development, planning and flying of Concorde on its first supersonic trans-Atlantic passenger service Concorde
1978Sqn Ldr D. G. Lee Twice winning the World Gliding Championships Schleicher ASW 17 [3]
1979Not Awarded
1980Julian NottWorld altitude record in a hot-air balloon of 55,134 ft (16,805 m)"Innovation" hot air balloon now on display in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Dulles Airport
1981Sqn Ldr D. G. LeeA further three victories at the World Gliding Championships Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-3 [4]
1982–1983Not Awarded
1984 St John Ambulance air wingOutstanding service since 1972 by their team of 165 volunteer pilots in transporting over 700 heart and liver transplants with accompanying medical staff
1985British Hang Gliding Team[ clarification needed ]
1986J. Egginton and D. ClewsThe world sectional speed record for a helicopter 401 km/h (249 mph) Westland Lynx
1987 P. Lindstrand and R. Branson First trans-Atlantic crossing by hot air balloon, 3075 3,075 mi (4,949 km) in 31 hrs 41 mins.Virgin Atlantic Flyer
1988Not Awarded
1989British Hang Gliding Team[ clarification needed ]
1990British Microlight Team[ clarification needed ]
1991Not Awarded
1992 D. Cameron and R. BaylyThe victory of the first trans-Atlantic balloon race, Maine to Portugal, 4,823 km (2,997 mi) in 124 hrs 34 min Cameron R-77 Rozière balloon
1993–1994Not Awarded
1995Chris Rollings and Chris PullenThe first 1,000 km (620 mi) glider flight in the UK. Schleicher ASH 25E
1996Not Awarded
1997David BarefordTwenty years of competition in hot air ballooning, British, European and World Champion and bronze medal at the World Air Games
1998 Brian Milton Round the world flight in a flex-wing microlight. This flight crossed 25 countries and took four months and 400 hours flying time Pegasus Quantum 912
1999 Brian Jones and Bertrand Piccard The first circumnavigation of the world by a free balloon, continuing for a further 4 days to complete 40,814 km (25,361 mi), an endurance of nearly 20 days Breitling Orbiter 3
2000 Jennifer Murray and Colin Bodill A microlight versus helicopter race around the globe in support of the charity Operation Smile Robinson R44 (Murray - helicopter) and Mainair Blade (Bodill - microlight)
2001British Microlight Team[ clarification needed ]Winning the second World Air Games and eighth World Microlight Championships
2002Not Awarded
2003Andrew DavisMeritorious performances in competitions as a glider pilot, including being, from 1981, a member of the British Gliding Team for and unprecedented twelve World Championships
2004 Richard Meredith-Hardy Flying over Mount Everest in a weight-shift microlightPegasus Quantum (with a turbo-charged Rotax 914 engine)
2005 David Hempleman-Adams A new World Altitude Record for open-basket hot-air airship (21,830 ft (6,650 m))
2006Manuel QueirozFirst British pilot to circumnavigate the world in a homebuilt aircraft Van's RV-6
2007John WilliamsFor developments in the field of gliding sports and the three longest UK glider flights, increasing the furthest distance flown in a day from 1,020 km (630 mi) to 1,540 km (960 mi)
2008David Hempleman-Adams and Jonathan MasonWinners of the Gordon Bennett race
2009Cpt Paul Bonhomme Winner of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship Zivko Edge 540
2010Cpt Stephen NoujaimBreaking the London-Cape Town and return-trip records for aircraft under 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) Van's RV-7
2011David SykesFirst paraplegic to fly solo from England to Australia P&M Aviation Quik
2012Gerald CooperMeritorious performances in aerobatics culminating in 2012 becoming the European Unlimited Aerobatic Champion Xtreme Air XA-41
2013 Jon Hilton First flight by Microlight from Britain to Canada and returning to Britain Flight Design CTSW
2014Richard Bird and Richard FosterMicrolight flight from Goodwood to Cape Town and back in their Comko C42 microlight. Departing on New Year's Day, they flew a total of 14846 nautical miles in 39 flying days, returning on 14 May.Comko C42 microlight
2015British Microlight TeamThe British Microlight Team excelled itself in the 2015 FAI World Air Games in Dubai. The British Team performed a clean sweep of the medals with David Broom winning Gold, Paul Dewhurst Silver and Rees Keene the Bronze medal, with Mark Fowler in fourth, Rob Keene in sixth and Chris Saysell in eighth place.
2016Steve Edwards, David Hempleman-Adams and Frederik PaulsenSteve Edwards, David Hempleman-Adams and Frederik Paulsen took off from the Geographical North Pole in a Lindstrand 105 hot air balloon on 16 April 2016.

The wind chill at the surface of the North Pole was -40°C. causing all of the fuel cylinder gauges to freeze and one of the burners to freeze in the on position. After a distance of 41.2Nm, the crew landed, put up an emergency shelter and made a nice cup of tea.

Lindstrand 105 hot air balloon
2017 Sacha Dench "Flight of the Swans" expedition - 7,000 km from the Russian arctic to the UK on a paramotor following the Bewick's swan migration. During the conservation adventure – spanning 11 different countries – she also became the first woman ever to cross the English Channel by paramotor.Paramotor (powered paraglider)
2018Peter WilsonPeter undertook a series of three epic journeys in his Robinson R66 Helicopter.

On his first journey in 2016 he flew round Africa solo in a VFR helicopter through 23 different countries, completing 16,600 nm in 73 days and setting three world records.

For his second journey in 2017 with Matthew Gallacher, they travelled east around the world passing through 42 countries completing 32,000 nm in 121 days, (11,600 nm over water) and setting another five world records.

The third Journey Round started on 2 December 2018 around Latin America.

Robinson R66 Helicopter

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Rolls</span> British motoring and aviation pioneer and the Founder of Rolls Royce (1877–1910)

Charles Stewart Rolls was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident with a powered aircraft, when the tail of his Wright Flyer broke off during a flying display in Bournemouth. He was aged 32.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schneider Trophy</span> Annual air racing event for seaplanes (1913–1931)

The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded first annually, and later biennially, to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying boats. In 1931 Britain met the conditions to retain the Trophy permanently; it is held at the Science Museum at South Kensington, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Aero Club</span> National co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom

The Royal Aero Club (RAeC) is the national co-ordinating body for air sport in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1901 as the Aero Club of Great Britain, being granted the title of the "Royal Aero Club" in 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Collier Trophy</span> Annual aviation award administered by the US National Aeronautical Association

The Robert J. Collier Trophy is an annual aviation award administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association (NAA), presented to those who have made "the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America, with respect to improving the performance, efficiency, and safety of air or space vehicles, the value of which has been thoroughly demonstrated by actual use during the preceding year."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mackay Trophy</span> Annual US Air Force award

The Mackay Trophy is awarded yearly by the United States Air Force for the "most meritorious flight of the year" by an Air Force person, persons, or organization. The trophy is housed in the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum. The award is administered by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bert Hinkler</span> Australian aviator (1892–1933)

Herbert John Louis Hinkler, better known as Bert Hinkler, was a pioneer Australian aviator and inventor. He designed and built early aircraft before being the first person to fly solo from England to Australia, completed on 22 February 1928, and the first person to fly solo across the Southern Atlantic Ocean. He married in 1932 at the age of 39, and died less than a year later after crashing into remote countryside near Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy during a solo flight record attempt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport</span> International airport serving Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is an international airport serving Kolkata and the Kolkata Metropolitan Region. It is the primary aviation hub for eastern and northeastern India. It is located approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the city centre. The airport is locally known as Kolkata Airport and Dum Dum Airport before being renamed in 1995 after Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the most prominent leaders of the Indian independence movement, from Bengal. The airport's IATA code CCU is associated with "Calcutta", the former legal name of the city. Opened in 1924, Kolkata Airport is one of the oldest airports in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harmon Trophy</span> Set of aviation awards

The Harmon Trophy is a set of three international trophies, to be awarded annually to the world's outstanding aviator, aviatrix, and aeronaut. A fourth trophy, the "National Trophy," was awarded from 1926 through 1938 to the most outstanding aviator in each of the twenty-one member countries and again from 1946–1948 to honor Americans who contributed to aviation. The award was established in 1926 by Clifford B. Harmon, a wealthy balloonist and aviator.

The National Aeronautic Association of the United States (NAA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization and a founding member of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). Founded in 1905, it is the oldest national aviation club in the United States and one of the oldest in the world, it serves as the “Aeroclub of the United States” and, by its Mission Statement it is "…dedicated to the advancement of the art, sport and science of aviation in the United States.” The NAA is headquartered at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Scott</span> British aviator (1922–1988)

Sheila Christine Scott OBE was an English aviator who broke over 100 aviation records through her long-distance flight endeavours, which included a 34,000-mile (55,000 km) "world and a half" flight in 1971. On this flight, she became the first person to fly over the North Pole in a small aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude Grahame-White</span> 19/20th-century English aviator

Claude Grahame-White was an English pioneer of aviation, and the first to make a night flight, during the Daily Mail-sponsored 1910 London to Manchester air race.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Bailey (aviator)</span> Anglo-Irish aviator (1890–1960)

Mary, Lady Bailey, was an Anglo-Irish aviator. She was known as one of the finest aviatrices of her time, who '"personally guided a plane from England to the nether tip of South Africa and back"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Gambier Airport</span> Airport in Wandilo, South Australia

Mount Gambier Regional Airport is an airport in the Limestone Coast, South Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivor McIntyre</span> Australian Air Force pilot

Ivor Ewing McIntyre, was a pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He gained national recognition in 1924 when he and Wing Commander Stanley Goble became the first men to circumnavigate Australia by air. Two years later, under the command of Group Captain Richard Williams, McIntyre piloted the first international flight undertaken by an RAAF plane and crew; this feat earned him the first Air Force Cross awarded to an RAAF member. Born and raised in England, McIntyre had served with the Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Air Force in World War I before joining the RAAF. He left the Air Force in 1927 to become an instructor with the South Australian branch of the Australian Aero Club, and died after a plane crash the following year.

Lympne Airport was a military and later civil airfield, at Lympne, Kent, United Kingdom, which operated from 1916 to 1984. During the First World War RFC Lympne was originally an acceptance point for aircraft being delivered to, and returning from, France but was later designated as a First Class Landing Ground, RAF Lympne. It became a civil airfield in 1919 and saw the operation of early air mail services after the 1918 armistice. It was one of the first four airfields in the United Kingdom with customs facilities.

Cecil Stanley Grace was a pioneer aviator who went missing on a flight across the English Channel in 1910.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alec Ogilvie</span>

For the businessman, see Alec Ogilvie (businessman).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gordon Bennett Trophy (aeroplanes)</span> Award

The Gordon Bennett Aviation Trophy is an international airplane racing trophy that was awarded by James Gordon Bennett Jr., the American owner and publisher of the New York Herald newspaper. The trophy is one of three Gordon Bennett awards: Bennett was also the sponsor of an automobile race and a ballooning competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Lee (pilot)</span>

Douglas George Lee MBE is a glider pilot who was world gliding champion on three consecutive occasions.

References

  1. "Royal Aero Club Awards and Trophies - The Britannia Trophy". Royal Aero Club. Archived from the original on 10 October 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "The Britannia Trophy Milestones In British Flying For Forty Years". Obituaries. The Times. No. 52501. London. 22 December 1952. col F, p. 7.
  3. "Flight International Archive". 29 December 1979. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  4. "Flight International Archive". 18 December 1982. Retrieved 9 June 2012.