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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0929.PDF
FLIGHT, AUGUST 28, 1931 Length of day's route (100 — points obtained) 160 X = hourS' Each of the larger planes was, therefore, started so longafter scratch time as calculated by this formula, minus the handicap for the small machines, the start retardationof which was calculated by the formula: Day's route (100 — points scored) . , lib- x m = m hours- For the large machines a minus of one point worked outto a retardation of practically four minutes on the first day's start. The starting order for the second day wassimilarly calculated, but the time gained or lost during flight by the individual competitors was added or deducted.This looks very complicated, but in fact the scheme worked exceedingly well, despite the fact that all thearrangements originally made for the night's stay at Munich were overturned in the last minute by the policestopping the race at Stuttgart. How great the differences in the starting times were will be seen from the list con-taining the initial starting times at Staaken airport in Berlin: A.M. PossHirth * . . DinortJunghanns Liesel BachKneip Schulze-EckardtWeichelt. . DeffnerMaier Thomsen CroneissBeseler Elli Beinhorn . . SiebelDudenhausen . . Baumert. .Hagen Osterkamp h.4 4 .. 45 55 55 55 5 5 66 6 6 6 6 .. 6 mm.30 41 51 18 2640 40 40 40 44 48 53 01 01 10 15 19 23 41 sec00 30 30 00 3000 00 00 00 00 30 00 30 30 30 00 00 30 00 * Second category. Doubtless much can be said against this form ofhandicap. If one wants to test the skill of the pilots, it should be different. If, on the other hand, one solelywants to test the efficiency of the machines, not only pilots of equal experience and skill shouldbe entrusted with the machines, but also all possibilities of merely fortunate or un-fortunate circumstances affecting the re- sults should be avoided. With the presentregulations neither the one nor the other nor both together is satisfactorily achieved.They are a compromise, with all the dis- advantages inherent in such. But, as faras the handicapping goes, it did not appear a failure, for in the race the positions ofthe competitors constantly changed. Leading at the start by 11^ min. with a125-h.p. plane against Wolf Hirth's simi- larly sized plane with only a 65-h.p.engine, it is clear Poss would not lose an inch unless engine failure or some othermishap overtook him. In this regard, the handicap of the small machines was toosevere. By the time Poss had reached th<- first stage—Travemtmde—only 136 milesfrom Berlin, he was more than 18 min. ahead of Hirth. At Munster, Dinort, whohad overhauled Hirth and was 16 min. behind Poss, having caught up 5£ min.against him, caused Poss to open all out in the following stages. The weather nowbegan to become exceedingly bad. Motor- cars on the ground were seen slowly crawl-ing along with their headlights on at mid- day to penetrate a thick fog. Poss, how-ever, found his way very well, and was able to gain considerably on his rivals be-fore he reached Stuttgart, where he landed 37 min. ahead of Dinort and 1 hr. 29 min. was Junghanns, who had started 48 min. behind Poss andarrived 1 hr. 3 min. behind him. Croneiss in his BFW made a valiant effort and had gained seventh place by thetime he reached Munster. But still he had lost 5 "min. against Poss. Nineteen miles in front of Stuttgart hisengine failed, however, and he was forced to land and retire. Already before reaching Munster Thomsen hadmade a forced landing and retired with a broken car- burettor, while still earlier Hagen had to give up atOsnabruck. So only sixteen competitors were left at Stuttgart, where the order of arrival of the first machineswas Poss, Dinort, Hirth, Junghanns, Weichelt and Liesel Bach. All of these competitors had lost considerably,partiall ' up to three-quarters of an hour, to Poss. In the remainder of the field positions were constantlychanging. Early next morning the pilots were started anew underthe new handicaps, but Poss had to retire as his engine would not start. The valves were burned. Now Dinorthad the lead of 46 min. ahead of Hirth. Third man was Junghanns, 1 hr. 17 min. behind Dinort, and fourthLiesel Bach 1 hr. 49 min. behind. Owing to the handicap she started before WeicTielt, although the latter hadarrived before her previous day. Weichelt had to start 9 min. behind Fraulein Bach. The race was now becomingdefinitely exciting for the masses of the Berlin population that had turned out to the Tempelhof airport to witnessthe arrival of the competitors and for the spectators on the ports en route. The news service was excellentlyorganised by the Aero Club of Germany, and loud speakers in the enclosures as well as score boards informed thevisitors of the progress of the race. Dinort arrived first at Tempelhof 1 hr. 16 min. infront of Wolf Hirth, who was second. Third was Kneip, who in the last stage succeeded in passing Liesel Bach.He was 1 hr. 40 min. behind Dinort, while Licsel Bach came in 6 min. later, followed after 11 min. by Weicheltand after 13 min. by Junghanns. Also, Siebel having retired at Stuttgart, where he had to return soon afterhis start, there were fourteen competitors left out of nineteen that had started, and all of these arrived atBerlin within closing time, all of them a considerably greater time behind the first man than they originallyhad been behind Poss when starting. Dinort's average speed in the race was 102.3 m.p.h. and Hirth's 93 m.p.h.Kneip, with the same type of machine and motor as Dinort, averaged 100 m.p.h., Liesel Bach, the fourth toarrive, averaged 97 m.p.h., while Weichelt's speed was 98i m.p.h. in advance of Hirth, while fourth man still A NEW TYPE: The Messerschmitt M. 27 flown by Theo Croneiss. 867
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