Supermarine S.6A - N248

This aircraft was one of two S.6 seaplanes designed by R J Mitchell and built by the Supermarine Aviation Works at Woolston, Southampton for the 11th Schneider Trophy Contest of 1929. Two S.6 were ordered by the Air Ministry in 1928 (along with two Gloster VIs), designed to take the new Rolls Royce R engine

Bearing the Race number '8' it was flown by Fg Off RLR Atcherley who was disqualified for turning inside one of the marker pylons. However, he did set up new World Speed Records for the 50 and 100 km closed circuits of 331 and 332 mph respectively. In 1931 it, together with its sister, N247, was modified to bring it up to the standard of the new S.6b aircraft being built for that year's contest, this involved fitting new, longer, floats, mass balances to the rudder and ailerons, stiffening the rear fuselage, adding extra radiator panels to the floats and fitting a more powerful Rolls Royce 'R' engine.

In the 1950s it was put on display on the Royal Pier in Southampton bearing the incorrect serial number S1596 ( i.e. the second S.6B, the other is in the Science Museum). It was later removed from the Pier and stored by the RAF, only appearing for special events such as the RAF's Jubilee Review. In 1976 it returned to Southampton for display in the R.J.Mitchell Memorial Museum and then its true identity came to light. When it was decided to build a new museum N248 was taken to British Hovercraft Corporation at Cowes (the old Saunders-Roe works) where it was stripped down and repainted in its 1931 colour scheme before being returned to Southampton for display in the Museum.

The other surviving S.6 aircraft, the S.6B S1595, is on display in the Science Museum, London, together with the Schneider Trophy.

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