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Aviation History
1925
1925 - 0786.PDF
NOVEMBER 26, 1925 THE FORD RELIABILITY TOUR FROM reports received, it would seem that the first annual aerial reliability tour organised by the Society of Automotive Engineers of America for a trophy presented by Mr. Edsel B. Ford, and which took place from September 28 to October 4, was a complete success, and has been the means of demon- strating the high degree of reliability which modern commer- cial aircraft have attained. Out of the seventeen actual starters (about twenty machines were entered) fifteen successfully completed the 1,900 miles within a reasonable margin of the schedule time. This first contest was somewhat in the nature of an elimi- nating trial for the succeeding years' contests, for the trophy was not awarded to any of this year's competitors, but all who succeeded in finishing on schedule were considered Cleveland ; 10, Cleveland-Detroit. To obtain a " perfect score " it was necessary to fly a leg in a time not exceeding 50 per cent, more than schedule time, providing at least 70 per cent, of the legs were flown in a time not to exceed 30 per cent, above the scheduled time, and provided the entire course was completed. On September 28, seventeen competitors started, at minute intervals, from Detroit, as follows :—E. K. Campbell on Travel Air A. (100 Curtiss OXX6), C. Bowhan on Travel Air B.6 (90 Curtis OX5), Walter Beech on Travel Air B.6 (100 Curtiss OXX6), Fred Melchoir on Junkers F.13L. (185 B.M.W.), E. G. Knapp on Waco (90 Curtiss OX5), L. O. Yost on Waco (90 Curtiss OX5), J. Stauffer on Swallow '25 (90 Curtiss OX5), Earl Rauland on Swallow '26 (90 Curtis THE FORD RELIABILITY TOUR : Some of the competing machines which took part in the 1,900-mile reliability air-tour in America for the trophy presented by Mr. Edsel B. Ford. (1) The Yackey Sport. (2) The Travel Air. (3) The New Swallow. (4) The Waco. (5) The Mercury Jr. (6) The Curtiss Carrier Pigeon. " winners " and will have their names engraved on the trophy, •which so places them " one up," so to speak, for next year's event, when a plan will be worked out in which different fac- tors will enter into the formula for determining the winner. It may be added that the competitor who gets his name engraved on the cup five times in succession becomes the permanent possessor of the trophy. For this year's contest the machines taking part—civilian, commercial aeroplanes—had to comply with certain conditions in the way of factors of safety, and had to carry a paying load of 0-5 lbs. per cub. in. of engine displacement. Further, each machine worked to a time schedule based on an average speed of 80 m.p.h. over ten " legs " of the course. The latter, which, as previously stated, measured 1,900 miles, was divided as follows:—September 28: 1, Detroit- Fort Wayne ; 2, Fort Wayne-Chicago. September 29 : 3, Chicago-Omaha. September 30 : 4, Omaha-St. Joseph ; 5, St. Joseph-Kansas City. October 1 : 6, Kansas City-St. Louis. October 2 : 7, St. Louis-Indianopolis. October 3 : 8, Indianopolis-Columbus. October 4 : 9, Columbus- OX5), P. Lott on Fokker 3F7 (three 200 Wright BJ4), Casey Jones on Curtiss Carrier Pigeon (400 Liberty), Gy. Caldwell on Martin Commercial (190 Wright E4), L. B. Richardson on Martin Commercial (190 W'right E4), H. C. Mummert on Mercury Jr. (167 Curtiss C6A), E. C. Hamilton on Ford (400 Liberty), H. C. Etten on Laird Special (167 Curtiss C6), E. A. Goff on Laird Swallow (90 Curtiss OX5), and W. J. Addams on Yackey (90 Curtiss OX5). Out of these seventeen starters, eleven completed the full course with a " perfect score," winning first prizes of $350 each. These " winners " were the three Travel Air machines, Yost's Waco, Rauland's Swallow, the Fokker 3F7,the Curtis s Carrier Pigeon the two Martins, the Ford, and the Yackey. Four others also completed the course, but only won second prizes of $125, as follows : the Junkers, Stauffer's Swallow, the Laird Special, and the Laird Swallow. Mummert's Mercury Jnr. completed all but 30 miles of the circuit, and was awarded a third prize of $100, while Knapp's Waco, which was damaged in a forced landing after having completed half the circuit, was awarded a fourth prize of $75. 785
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