72024 GLOSTER III/IIIA

The Gloster III was a British racing seaplane from the interwar period. The prototype flight took place in 1925. The plane was 8.1 meters long with a wingspan of 6.09 meters. The drive - in version IIIA - was provided by a single Napier Lion VII engine with a capacity of 700 HP. The maximum speed of the aircraft reached 362 km / h. The machine did not have a permanent on-board armament. The Gloster III was designed primarily to win the Schneider Trophy competition. In total, three variants of this aircraft were created: Gloster III (original version), Gloster IIIA (version with improved flight stability), Gloster IIIB (version with improved aerodynamics and significantly better top speed). The plane took off in the race, but was outclassed by the American Curtiss R3C machine. After the race, Gloster III found its way to the RAF facility.