Jacques Schneider was the French financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, who created the Schneider Trophy

Schneider Trophy

The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider was a prize competition for seaplanes. Announced by Jacques Schneider, a financier, balloonist and aircraft enthusiast, in 1911, it offered a prize of roughly £1,000. The race was held eleven times between 1913 and 1931...

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He was the son of an armament manufacturer. For a long time, with 10,081 m he held the high altitude record in ballooning. His interest in engine powered heavier-than-air flights started when he saw Wilbur Wright performing a flight demonstration in Le Mans

Le Mans

Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...

 in August 1908. Forced to abandon flying after a severe accident, he became a constant supporter of various flight contests. On September 5, 1912, at the Aéroclub de France, he proposed the “Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider” (Schneider Trophy), a contest for seaplane

Seaplane

A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...

s that should support the technical progress of civil aviation. Participants had to fly a distance of at least 150 miles. The reward for the winner was 25,000 gold franc

Gold franc

The gold franc was the unit of account for the Bank for International Settlements from 1930 until April 1, 2003. It was replaced with the Special Drawing Right...

s and a cup worth the same as the prize. If a nation won the cup three times within five years, the cup would belong to them.