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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0703.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 15, 1932 consider that his " Tomtit " (No. 26) had any chance in the handi cap, and he decided not to start on Saturday's circuits. The second withdrawal was No. 32, Mrs. Butler's " Puss Moth," flown by Fit. Lt. Mellor. By the time Hope was starting, the wind had veered round towards the north, and a different starting line had to be used. For the start to Bristol this did not matter, but for the start towards Shoreham on the second circuit it did not look too good, and promised some rather nasty take-offs. The 34 machines got away on their first circuit without incident, but owing to his unexpected speed Hope was back at Brooklands, having covered the first circuit, before Brown on the Avro " Mail- plane '' started ! It had been the intention of the organisers to hold a small flying display during the absence of the King's Cup com petitors to keep the spectators amused, but owing to the spread ing which took place, there was no opportunity for this without risk of interfering with the racing. As there were not more than a couple of hundred spectators in the public enclosure, this probably did not matter in the least, the rest of the visitors being rather blase in the matter of flying, and the weather being in any case such that an opportunity for a few minutes' rest was very welcome. At the end of the first circuit, each competitor had to make a compulsory stop at Brooklands for one hour. Hope got away promptly on time, and was followed by the other 33 machines in due course. Hope's take-off left nothing to be desired, but it was obvious that the sharp right-hand turn to get on to the course for Shoreham might prove a source of delay to several competitors, notably those with heavily-loaded machines. Another source of worry was the number of aircraft which, or whose pilots, took it into their heads to come over and have a look at the race. Brooklands Aviation, Ltd., had notified in writing every private owner in the country not to interfere with the racing by arriving while the race was in progress, but in spite of this there were some nasty moments, one competitor at least having to be started late to avoid risk of collision, and another, the " Active II," flown by Leech, being actually balked on the starting line by a " Moth," G-AAEX, coming in to land as he was taking off. " HEAD " RESISTANCE : The head in this instance is that of Mr. Hubert Broad, who flew his open machine without wearing goggles. (FLIGHT Photo.) In fairness to British private owners, it should be mentioned here that there were among the offenders very few, if any, bona fide private owners. The unwel come visitors appeared to be mostly either trade pilots or people who had borrowed a machine for the day. It was very unsporting of them, and they ought not to have done it. At the same time, it is only fair to say that the " spreading " of competitors due to faulty handi capping played havoc with time tables, and that had this spread ing not occurred, most of the visiting aircraft would have caused no inconvenience. As it was, red Very lights soon became scarce owing to the rather unex pected demand ! During the one hour's wait we had an opportunity to chat with some of the competitors. All were pleased with the weather, which gave excellent visibility, and, of course, a few grumbled at the handicappers. That was inevit able. Mr. Percival, who had the only specimen of the new inverted " Hermes IV " engine in his " Gull," said he had not a hope in the race, but he made a cheer ful exception by saying he did not mind in the least. The " Hermes IV " engine ran with extraordi nary smoothness and had not given any trouble. The machine behaved faultlessly, all the controls being smooth and well harmonised, so why worry. He did admit, however, to having had a few moments' anxiety when an exhaust pipe burnt through and set up a clatter inside the engine cowling. Until he reached Bristol he did not know what the trouble was, but the matter was soon put right, and from then onwards all went well. The speed was well up to expectations (it turned out to be 142.75 m.p.h. over the whole course), and must be regarded as excellent for a three-seater machine. During the start for the second and last circuit, there was a good opportunity to study pilots and machines. As previously mentioned, the starting line was so placed that the machines had to get into the air and then make a very sharp right-hand turn on to the course, almost doubling back in doing so. Broad got away extremely well on his lightly-loaded machine, but the " Gipsy Swifts," notably Fielden's machine, took nearly the whole aerodrome, and then had to climb over the trees near the Vickers works. Styran's " Gipsy Swift " had a much better take-off. One THIRSTY HORSES : Fuelling the " Panther " engine of the Avro " Mailplane " which scored the fastest time over the course with 176 m.p.h. (FLIGHT Photo.) 655 E 2
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