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Aviation History
1922
1922 - 0202.PDF
APRIL 6, 1922 THE LISBON TO RIO TRANSATLANTIC ATTEMPT Fairey Seaplane Used Two Portuguese officers, Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho, left the Tagus on the morning of March 30, on their first stage of the flight to Rio, the Canary Islands. The distance from Lisbon is 715 miles, and the machine arrived at Las Palmas at 3 p.m. For various reasons the resumption of the flight on the next stage, to the Cape Verde Islands, was postponed until Sunday, April 2, when the machine took off from Las Palmas at 10 a.m. The distance to St. Vincent have been fitted in order to enable the machine to carry the fuel necessary, for long-distance journeys. In the accompanying photograph the machine is shown with two large fuel tanks slung under the bottom plane. These have, we understand, been removed, and the bulk of the petrol has been placed in tanks in the floats instead. In this manner a good deal of head resistance has been saved, and the performance correspondingly increased. THE FAIREY LONG-DISTANCE SEAPLANE USED IN THE TRANSATLANTIC ATTEMPT : Under the lower plane may be seen large petrol tanks. These have now been removed, and tanks fitted in the floats Instead. Otherwise the machine remains as shown in the photograph. is approximately 840 miles, so that the machine should have arrived at abotit 8 or 10 p.m. on the same day. Up to the time of going to press no news of its arrival has been received, and some anxiety is felt for the safety of the gallant officers. The magjiine used in the attempt is a Fairey seaplane, Rolls-Royce " Eagle " engine, and was described and illus trated in our issue of January 19, 1922. In the main it is similar to the famous Fairey type C III D, but larger wings Those who know the standard Fairey seaplanes, and their sea and airworthiness, will not be unduly alarmed at the lack of news from the missing aviators, as the machine would be able to ride out a moderate sea in case of a forced descent. At the same time, trouble may have developed which could not be put right by the crew, and in that case it is to be hoped that they will be seen by a passing vessel, of which there should be a good number on the route followed. AN AVIATION WEEK AT NICE By D. W. THORBURN UNDER the auspices of the Areo Club of the Cote d'Azur, and with the active assistance of the various local authorities, an Aviation Week was held at Nice from March 26 to April 2. The proceeds were divided between the Club, the Syndicate of the Sporting Press, and local charities, and attracted some of the largest crowds I have ever seen at any flying meetings. Practically all the machines taking part were land machines, which were housed at an aerodrome specially prepared on the shore at the far western end of the Promenade des Anglais, but the exhibitions and contests took place over the sea in front of the centre of the Promenade, where some hundreds of yards of the Promenade had been enclosed and stands erected. The fact that the pilots started at a point about 2 miles distant deprived the affair of the element of personal interest usually so characteristic of Hendon gatherings, and also, it must be admitted, seriously interfered with the organisa tion of the meeting. An elaborate programme had been prepared, but it bore little if any resemblance to what actually occurred, and the time-table was disregarded entirely. The first day's flying opened with a defile of all the pilots and machines. The leading French aviators took part, among them being Fonck, Fronval, Sadi Lecointe, Madon, Bernard, Boussotrot, Maicon, and Nungesser, while Italy was represented by Brachpapa and Ferrarin, and Belgium by Willy Coppens, well known in London as the Belgian Air Attache. There was therefore no lack of talent. A contest for the best figures of eight followed, but interest was seriously distracted by the continual flying ofother pilots at the same time. The slow flying race was won by Flachaire on a Spad, his speed being given as 3 kiloms. in 4 mins. 28* sees. A race between Lecointe and Brachpapa over a course of three circuits, resulted in a win for the Italian on his Fiat. The programme, by the way, made no reference to the motors which played so important a part in the proceedings. Nine machines took part in a competition for the dropping of messages into a marked area, the winner being Becquet, on a Spad. Other demonstrations included a special display of aerial acrobatics by Fronval and Nungesser. The second meeting was held on Thursday, when an enormous crowd thronged the long enclosures. According to the official programme the proceedings should have opened with the arrival of a dirigible and an aerial attack on it by a squadron of aeroplanes, but no airship turned up, and the first event was the escape and disappearance of an observa tion balloon, which was being prepared for destruction later on in the afternoon. The second item announced was the arrival of a squadron of flying boats from St. Raphael and a combat with two destroyers. One of the flying boats was to have been apparently damaged in the' flight and then taken prisoner by a submarine. Repairs were to have been effected, and the machine should have delighted the crowd by making its escape after sinking the submarine. This was timed for 2.15, but no squadron ever turned up, and it was much 202
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