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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0338.PDF
FLIGHT, APRIL 10, 1931 SOME MORE NEW RECORDS The French Airmen, Joseph le Brix and Marcel Doret, improve upon the Duration and Distance Records recently established by Lalouette and Reginensi and establish seven new records. i EVEN new International Records, comprising those forduration and distance for 'planes carrying various loads have just been established by the French air-men Joseph le Brix and Marcel Doret. Flying a new Dewoitine low wing monoplane, D. 33,specially designed for long-distance flights, powered with an Hispano-Suiza 650 h.p. water-cooled direct drive, le Brixand Doret took off from the Istres aerodrome (South of France) at 6-36 o'clock, Monday morning, March 23 last.The plane carried 4,700 litres (1,036 gallons) of petrol as available fuel and 250 litres (55 gallons) of oil. In additionto the two pilots, the 'plane also carried a load of 2,160 kg. 4,762 lb), consisting of 3,000 litres (661 gallons) of petrol,in order to make up the necessary load to establish the various records sought after. This additional amount ofpetrol was placed in a portion of the fuel tanks, which were sealed, and cut off from the rest of the tank system. Itcould not, therefore, be touched during the flight. No wireless operator was carried, and the radio set was also dis-pensed with. The 'plane thus equipped weighed 8,965 kg. (about 9 tons). The " take off " was made easily, after arun of about 1,300 m. (4,225 ft.) in 68 seconds. The airmen traversed a triangular course, Istres-Mont-pellier-Nimes, at first, and encountered good weather at the start. Toward the end, however, they were greatly ham-pered by fog, which came up during the night, and obliged them to shorten a portion of their course.Le Brix and Doret remained in the air for 32 hours 17 minutes, and landed at Istres Airport at 2.54 o'clock Tuesdayafternoon, having traversed some 4,662 km. (2,914 miles). The Dewoitine 'plane thus established the followingrecords :— For a 'Plane carrying a Load of 500 kg. (1,102 Ib.) Duration.—32 hr. 17 min. (existing record, 23 hr. 22 miu., made by Costesand Codos flying the " Question Mark." August, 1930). Distance.—4,662 km. 1(2,872 miles) (ex-isting record, 4,361 -9 km. (2,710-5 miles), held by Costes and Codos on " QuestionMark," 1930). For a 'Plane carrying a Load of 1,000 kg.(2,205 Ib.) Duration.—32 hr. 17 min. (existingrecord, 18 hr. 1 min., made by Costes and Codos on " Question Mark," 1930).Distance.—4,662 km. (2,872 miles) (ex- isting record, 3,309-9 kru. (2,056-7 miles),made by Costes and Codos on " Question Mark," 1930). For a 'Plane carrying a Load of 2,000 kg.(4,410 Ib.)' Duration,—32 hr. 17 min. (existingrecord, 17 hr. 4 min., made by Lalouette and Reginensi, March 10, 1931).Distance.—4,662 km. (2,872 miles) (ex- isting record. 2,678 km. (1,664 miles),made by Lalouette and Reginensi, March 10, 1931). Speed over 2,000 km. (1,242-8 miles).—151-36 km. per hour (94 m.p.h.) (ex isting record, 147-42 km. per hour (91-6 m.p.h.), made by Lalouette andReginensi, March 10, 1931) The new record holders are among the best known and mostpopular pilots in France. Beginning his career as an officer in the French Navy, Joseph le Brix did brilliant work inthe Morocco campaign several years ago, and shortly after- wards attained distinction as the navigator of DieudonneCostes in his trip around the world during 1928. Le Brix has also made several long-distance flights across Europe,and was scheduled to make an attempt for a transatlantic crossing in company with the late Maurice Drouhin shortlybefore the latter's death a couple of years ago. Marcel Doret has often been termed the " King of stuntflyers." As chief pilot for the Dewoitine Co. he has exhibited their 'planes all over Europe, and last autumn made a tripto the United States, taking part in the International Air Meeting at Chicago, where his aerobatic flying was greatlyadmired. Doret always flies a Dewoitine Pursuit 'plane at these various meetings, and has been frequently adjudgedthe winner over the best aces of Europe. The Dewoitine 'plane, D.33, vised by Doret and Le Brixin this flight is one of the prototypes (new types) approved a short time ago by the Air Ministry, a number of whichhave been making their trial flights of late. A low-wing monoplane of cantilever construction, with a long narrowfuselage presenting a highly developed finesse, it is a machine specially designed to establish long-distance records. It isconstructed entirely of duralumin along the well-known Dewoitine lines. The wings are of trapezoidal form, covered with sheetduralumin, and have their ends rounded elliptically. The fuel tanks, 16 in number, are installed in the wings on either sideof the central longeron. They have a total capacity of 8,000 litres (1,102-5 galls.). The slight dihedral angle atwhich the wings are mounted affords a gravity flow for the fuel from this tank system to amanifold installed in the fuselage, which is regulated by a series oftaps. The landing gear is of the split-axle type with a spacing of4i m. (14-i ft.) between the wheels, which are mounted on ball-bearingaxles. This undercarriage is braced by struts to the lowerpart of the fuselage. The 'plane is equipped with double controlsThe principal characteristics of the Dewoitine D.33 are asfollows :—Wing span, 28 m. (91 ft.) ; wing surface, 78 sq. m.(840 sq. ft.) ; length, 14-4 m. (47 ft.) ; height, 5 m. (16 ft.) ;capacity of fuel tanks, 8,000 litres (1,102-5 galls.). Our illustrations show theDewoitineD.33 Mono-plane (650 h .p. Hispano Suiza) on which the new records referred to above were made. 314
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