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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1014.PDF
IOI6 * FLTGHT. OCTOBER 4, 1934. The Qreat Adventure DETAILS of the preparations for the start of theEngland-Australia Air Races for the money prizeand trophy presented by Sir MacPherson Robert- son in connection'with the Centenary Celebra- tions of the State of Victoria and the City of Melbourne have now been made public by the Royal Aero Club. As our readers will be aware, the start will begin at Mildenhall aerodrome, Suffolk, on October 20. It was originally understood that competitors would be per- mitted to take their machines to Mildenhall from early in October, but it is now announced that this aerodrome will not be opened until Saturday, October 13. Com- peting machines will be "accepted " on that day and until 4.30 p.m. on the next day. The supplementary regulations issued by the Royal Aero Club point out that any competitor who has not presented his aircraft by then will render it liable to exclusion from the race. It should be observed that it is not specifically stated that any machine which arrives after 4.30 p.m. on Sun- day, October 14, will be excluded. We consider it unwise to be vague in regulations of this nature. Either the machines must be at Mildenhall by that time or they need not be there. If not, then what is the latest time they will be " accepted " ? There was a similarly vague phrasing in the wording of the original regulations, which stated that competing machines should conform substantially to ICAN requirements. Naturally, com- petitors wanted to know by how much they might fall short of ICAN requirements. It has long been realised that in cases where the tanks of a competing aeroplane cannot be filled to capacity without the machine exceeding the maximum gross weight permitted it under ICAN requirements, there is likely to be an opening for disputes at control points. It has now been laid down that in such a case "ade- quate means of checking the tank contents must be pro- vided and submitted for calibration and sealing to obviate the necessity of having to drain and refill the tanks at control or other checking points." This obviously places the onus on the competitor. A point in the MacRobertson regulations which is not, perhaps, always fully appreciated is the stipulation that competing machines must comply (" substantially•") with the ICAN take-off requirement which demands that a machine must be able to clear an obstacle 20 m. (65.6 ft.) high in a distance of 600 m. (656 yards) from standing start. This is a safety measure in that it en- sures that machines are not flown in an overloaded state in the race. An aeroplane capable of passing this take- off test and still having on board enough fuel to cover the longest stages in the race (2,530 miles for the Milden- hall-Baghdad section, and 2,300 miles for the Baghdad- Allahabad section) must of necessity be a very efficient aeroplane, not only aerodynamically but structurally and in the matter of fuel consumption. MILDENHALL AERODROME : The starting point ot the England-Australia Race on October 20th for the MacRobertson prize. (Flight Photo.)
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