Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Solent Sky before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | N248 |
|---|---|
| Type | Supermarine S.6A |
| Built | Supermarine, Woolston, Southampton, 1929 |
| First flew | August 1929, about two weeks after N247 |
| Units / operator | RAF High Speed Flight, Calshot |
| 1929 contest | Disqualified for turning inside a marker; set 50 km and 100 km closed-circuit records |
| Rebuilt | As S.6A for the 1931 contest (reserve aircraft) |
| Restored | From 1983, in 1931 colours |
| Status | On display |
| Where | Solent Sky, Southampton |
The story of N248
N248 was one of two Supermarine S.6 racers ordered on 3 May 1929 for that year's Schneider Trophy contest. Supermarine built both at its Woolston works in Southampton, each powered by the new Rolls-Royce R engine. They were delivered to the RAF High Speed Flight at Calshot in August 1929. N248 first flew about a fortnight after its sister N247, which flew on 10 August.
In the 1929 contest, flown over the Solent, N248 was disqualified for turning inside one of the marker poles. Its run still set world closed-circuit records over 50 and 100 km. N247 won the race at 328.63 mph. For 1931 both aircraft were brought up to S.6A standard, with a more powerful R engine, new floats, extra cooling surfaces and balanced controls.
In 1931 N248 was the team's reserve and did not race; S.6B S1595 won the trophy outright. N247 was destroyed in a fatal take-off accident during training. N248 later appeared in the 1942 film The First of the Few, about R.J. Mitchell. Until the 1960s it was displayed beside Southampton's Royal Pier, wrongly marked as the S.6B S1596. Restoration began in 1983 and returned it to its 1931 colour scheme. It is now displayed at Solent Sky in Southampton, a few miles from where it was built.
Seeing N248 today
On display at Solent Sky in Southampton, finished in the colours it wore for the 1931 contest.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solent SkySouthampton, Hampshire | £14 | 23 | Supermarine S.6A N248, the 1929 Schneider Trophy racer from the bloodline that begat the Spitfire — parked beneath its descendant for… |
Also known as: S.6 N248 · Supermarine S6A · Schneider Trophy seaplane · S1596