Design Inc was happy, proud & a little bit more than excited to receive a call from fellow aviation enthusiast William Hosie in the Summer of 2021. He was looking for an agency to support with the build of a new corporate, e-commerce website – to help market a very exciting and ambitious project.
His objective: to build a full scale reproduction of the Supermarine S5 under the supervision of the Light Aircraft Association.
The website would serve the purposes of marketing this replica project and would provide information regarding the Supermarine aircraft itself, an outline on the progress of this exciting build and also to provide a platform for both the fundraising and the wide range of sponsorship opportunities available to investors & stakeholders in the project.
It is estimated that £275,000 is required for the project.
The history of the Supermarine is so special, specifically during the halcyon days of the 1920s & 30s Schneider Trophy seaplane competitions. In 1927, pitted against a strong international field of aircraft manufacturers, Britain’s Supermarine designs ultimately won the speed contest outright, achieving a speed of 281.6 mph.
Its success led to the high-performing WW2 Spitfire fighter aircraft of RJ Mitchell – the aircraft which has become the iconic symbol of the Battle of Britain.
William has a strong family connection with the S5 design as his late father, Kenneth Hosie owned and flew one earlier. You might say it is a Hosie’s destiny to celebrate the success of Supermarine seaplanes and educate new audiences about these great British aeronautical designs, using their record-breaking achievements to inspire future generations.
Marketing the Supermarine S5
Design Inc is a specialist in aviation marketing and proud to have supported through the website project, having been successfully selected from a shortlist of five. The website we developed was designed in such as way to reflect an element of the vintage & patriotic – and to evoke the feeling of the euphoria surrounding the time.
It was a straightforward web build, although a bit of a challenge to source the vintage imagery. The website benefits from a robust e-commerce platform to enable both donations and purchases of branded merchandise from the online shop.
The goal is to have the replica completed and its first flight in Q2, 2023. And, by the end of 2021, the website has worked hard, attracting donations of more than £85k. This is already one third of the target but so much more is needed.
To learn more about the progress of the Supermarine C5 replica project and to make your own donation or purchase, please visit supermarineseaplane.co.uk
