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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0755.PDF
ii SEPTEMBER 29, 1927 P ylii Napier S.5s showed only a very slight amount of water ineach float. As soon as the respective seaplanes finished their mooringtests, they were towed back to the hangars, and the pains- taking work of inspection, and " last-minute " adjustmentwas commenced. On Saturday morning, the Supermarine- Napier S.5 N. 220 was taken out for Flight-Lieut. Websteragain to go through the taxi test, and one is happy to report that everything this time progressed satisfactorily, and thepilot was able to obtain the official O.K. without any further difficulty. The Race We awoke on the Monday morning to a state of doubt.The wind had certainly subsided and the lagoon was calm enough. But the weather-wise had said that after such astorm it usually took one or two days for the Adriatic to calm down. The white horses might have disappeared, but theheavy swell might still make it impracticable for a pilot to engine would beat the Gloster with geared engine, and,until the spinner trouble began to develop, there were some, very much in the know, who were willing to lay their shirts—well, perhaps not a shirt, but at least a soft collar—that the biplane would win the cup. Opinions differed, of course ;but in the main it seemed that biplane and monoplane were as nearly matched in speed as don't matter, so long as theyboth had geared Napiers. The ungeared monoplane was from 9 to 10 m.p.h. slower. All the same, it was well worthwhile to enter one ungeared engine because in it there was less chance of the oil heating up. We felt that whateverhappened Worsley was practically sure to finish the course. Moreover, though we told it not in Gath, and whispered itnot in the streets of Ascalon, we thought that in that case Worsley would win the trophy. We wondered also how the Italians were feeling. It isa popular British belief that Latin nerves must suffer still more from such tension. But I find it difficult to believethat a pilot who has won a race from Rome to Tokio can have an over-developed nervous system. Ferrarin had i [" FLIGHT " Photographs THE 1927 SCHNEIDER CONTEST :—On the left, Flight-Lieut. Kinkead opens the Ball on the Gloster-NapierIVb. On the right, Flight-Lieut. Worsley well away on the direct-drive Supermarine-Napier S.5. put a racer down in a hurry without disaster. Col. O'Gormanwas requested by the racing committee to have our team down at the starting point by the mole at Porto di Lido by2 p.m. and to remain there, if necessary, until 4 p.m. " WTiat an ordeal for the pilots ! " was the thought that came to one'smind, mingled with recollections of the horrible suspense of waiting ten minutes for the start of a bumping race on theThames. The postponement from yesterday must have been bad enough for the team, and yet they seemed to take itwith great sang froid. A day or two before Kinkead had had a slight recurrence of malaria, from which he had oncesuffered, and Webster was reported to have remarked to a friend that this might be a symptom of strain. If so, he forhis part was not affected at all. The friend remarked that the Italians expected to win the race (I know as a fact thatthey did not, but let that pass), and went on, " What do you think, Webby ? " " Well," replied the destined champion," I think that I'm going to win it." That was the gorgeously confident spirit of the British team. For, it may be remarked,not every expert believed that the Supermarine with geared confessed in conversation to an English friend that he hadnot much hope of the Macchis beating the British machines, but despair is not the same thing as what rowing men call" the needle." Guazzetti, from his war record, must be a man of—if we may put it so—" guts." He was first anaval officer and took part in several sea fights. Then, flying bombers, he was shot down over the Isonzo, andafter some time in hospital, was passed fit for naval but not for flying duties. So he did some more sea fighting,and then in time managed to get back into the air. Most undoubtedly a pilot of determination ! He and Ferrarinare both aged 32, and de Bernardi is 34, all mature men. Kinkead, the eldest of our team, is only 30, and Websterand Worsley are 27 and 29 respectively. None of our three had previously flown in a high-speed race, whereas deBernardi and Ferrarin were both in last year's winning team. In fact, if what I was told is accurate, namely, thatWebster has recently been in the " twin-engined flight " at Martlesham, one wonders what genius among the selectorsspotted in him a probable winner of the Schneider Cup.
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