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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0761.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 24, 1981 THE COMPETITORS In previous years it has been our custom to publish brief descriptions of the aircraft taking part in the King's Cup Race. This year all the competing types, with but two exceptions, are already well known to our readers. These are the Curtiss-Reid Rambler III (Gipsy III) and the Arrow " Active " (Hermes IIB). The " Rambler " was described and illustrated in our issue of June 19, 1931, and a description of the " Active " appears in the present issue. The machines being well-known, but many of the pilots taking part being to some extent " strangers " to many of our readers, we have endeavoured to collect portraits of the pilots, and brief particulars of their careers, in order that our readers may take a more intimate interest in the race. Some of the pilots are shy folk, however, more particularly those who are officers serving in the R.A.F., of whom several are competing in the King's Cup Race, and consequently our gallery of portraits, and personal notes, are not as complete as we could have wished. That, however, cannot be helped, and must be blamed on cir- cumstances over which we had no control. On this and subsequent pages we give photographs of all the aircraft types taking part, and personal notes and portraits of some of the pilots who will handle the various types in the race. The number in brackets behind the name of a pilot represents the racing number of the machine which he is flying in the race. ARROW " ACTIVE " Hermes II B. Racing Number : [ 42 WINCOTT (42) Flight-Lieutenant C. B. Wincottstarted his aviation career by working in the shops of the Sopwith Aviationand the Martin & Handasyde Companies, from the time he leftschool until he learnt to fly on a -Maurice Farman at Chingford inMay, 1916, as a probationary Flight- Lieutenant, R.N.A.S. From June,1916, until February, 1917, he was at Manston flying Bristol Scouts andSopwith Triplanes. In March, 1917, lie went overseas with No. 2 Wingof the R.N.A.S. to the Eastern Mediterranean, and remained thereuntil August, 1918, flying Sopwith ij Strutters on day and night bomb-ing raids, and Henri Farmans on Jombing raids at night and submarineiiatrols by day. For the last eight nonths of this time he was with a-amel Squadron on fighting patrol vork.On returning home he was posted to Flt.-Lt. C. B. Wincott (42) 715 Burgh Castle in Norfolk, where he didescort duty on Camels over the North Sea. He finished war service bybeing demobilised from Manston in July, 1919. After that he set out toEast Africa for three years to make his fortune growing coffee, but as thefortune did not materialise he came home and rejoined the R.A.F. as ashort service officer, being posted to Leuchars in February, 1923. Fromthen until April, 1929, he served with the Fleet Air Arm, during which timehe was in H.M.S. Argus and H.M.S. Eagle flying Nightjars and Fly-catchers. In 1928 he received his permanent commission, was promotedto Flight-Lieutenant, and joined Martlesham Heath in May, 1929. InAugust of the same year he was given command of " A " Flight No. 22Squadron, an appointment which he still holds, being employed in theperformance testing of single seater aircraft.
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