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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0002.PDF
r'/•'LIGHT, JANUARY 4, 1934 TO THE LAST DROP : Measuring the fuel left in the tanks of one of the Fartnan machines. (FLIGHT Photo.) for various reasons. In some cases it was a question of insur- ance, in others the pilot was ill— possibly with what is colloquially known as Gippy Tummy—and of those who arrived the following left for Assiut in this order: — JSos. 4, 9, 5, 18, 19, 24, 21, 8, 12, 6, 13, 23, 11, 17, 15, 14, 26, 20, 16, 22, 29, 27. The wind was still coming from the W.S.W., but had died down to about 15 m.p.h. The visibility was reported as good—and proved so by the pilots on their return the following day. So Egypt re- gained something of her reputa- tion for attractive winter weather, although very little sun was to be seen on that or many of the following days, in Cairo itself. The first day's flight was from Almaza to Dakhla. They had an interesting route. Soon after leaving Almaza they passed the Step Pyramid at Sakkara, with the Dashur Pyramids a little to the south but visible to the right of the course. Then they passed Lake Karoun, in the midst of the green trees of the Fayoum. After they reached the turning point at Mata- shusha the first feature of interest was the excavations at Tel el Armarna and then the course ran along the Nile to Mangabad, the Egyptian Army aerodrome at Assiut. Here a landing was made for refuelling and then com- petitors took off across the desert, towards the Oases rarely seen by Europeans. The green cultivation of the Nile Valley disappeared and below them was the dun coloured monotony of the desert, monotonous from a height of 2,000 ft. but strangely varied on the surface. Shortly before reaching the Oases Junction the ruins of Abydos, believed to be the oldest in Egypt, were passed, and then the Temple of Hibis, before Kharga, turning point or voluntary landing ground, appeared. In the afternoon the competitors reached Dakhla Oasis, where green palm trees and little lakes of shining water stood out with startling clarity from the desert. The night was spent in camp at Dakhla, in one of the remote oases in Egypt, where the Bedouin who live in the* district crowded round, amazed to see so many and so brightly coloured aircraft descending to shatter the tranquillity of their life. The volunteer helpers who had journeyed out to the Oasis by car some days before did all in their power to meet the airmen's requirements, and, despite the difficulties of distance and inaccessibility, the arrangements were excellent, and all necessities and a good many comforts were provided. After the competitors already enumerated had left Mr. G. Robson followed them round in his " Gull " (Napier " Javelin "). He had only arrived after the official closing time for entries, but had been allowed to go round as a non-competitor. His doing so was the cause of an " incident." Near Dakhla, about 20 km. beyond the TALKING IT OVER : Mr. J. Shand (right) and Col. CONSULTING THE MAP : Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed Salem W. B. Beatty (members of the Committee) in conversation before the start of the Circuit of the Oases, with the French pilot, Robert Bril. (FLIGHT Photo.) (FLIGHT Photo.) 6
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