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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1020.PDF
TC22 FLIGHT. OCTOBER 4, 1934. WHO'S WHO IN THE ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA RACE . Introducing Some of the Competitors • (Continued from page 983) Col. G. R. Hutchinson Racing No. 50.—Q. R. Hutchinson, P. Redpath and D. H. Vance (U.S.A.)W HEN Honorary Colonel George R. Hutchinson opensup on the subject of Aviation " there is no telling when the end will be reached." He says so himself, in avery chatty letter from New York, dated June 30. But since then no word has been received from him ; which isdisappointing, because he had promised further information about his co-pilot and radio operator. Hutchinson was born, ofEnglish parents, at Balti- more, Maryland, on Febru-ary 11, 1902. In the seven years since being granted atransport licence he has owned 17 aircraft and, inthe course of some 3,000 hours, has flown over 48countries: United States, Canada, Labrador, Green-land, the British Isles, Davis Straits, the NorthAtlantic and South America. He expresses particular pridein the fact that his wife and their young daughters,]anet Lee and Kathryn, have accompanied him byair across 32 countries and 3 continents, and that, injourneys exceeding 150,000 miles, they have "never suffered the slightest injury or experience that would in any manner;ause us to lessen our flying activities and fondness for iviation. Truly, we are a family who practise what wepreach." You have, of course, lead of "The Fiying Family Hutchinson'' (not to be confused with the Swiss familyMacRobertson)—well, these are they. Dad's other hobby is golf. He has developed airports, operated air lines, and con-ducted aerial surveys. He is a prolific contributor to his country's newspapers and periodicals. Incidentally, he hasdelivered 612 lectures to universities and schools, has written and dramatised 204 radio scripts (on aviation adventures)over the network of the National Broadcasting Co. of New York, and appeared en famille on stage and screen. Peter Redpath, Hutchinson's navigator and co-pilot in therace, is a Canadian, an air-line pilot, and a navigation in- structor. He has accompanied the family on various longflights and shares the notable adventure in which their Sikorsky flying boat came down amid Greenland's icymountains. Donald H. Vance, third member of the team, is a thirty-six year-old American; first-grade radio operator. He has served five years as radio operator in the U.S. Navy, andwith the R.C.A Victor Co. as radio engineer. Racing No. 33—J. H. Wright and—1 (U.S.A.) Even in the State of New York (where they call him" Jack"), John Henry Wright is acclaimed a tough guy. This respectful title is well merited. He laid the foundationfor it with a course of athletics at Clarkson Polytechnic Insti- tute, Potsdam (N.Y.), reinforced it by playing Americanfootball as a professional, and cemented it on the Mexican border as a sergeant in the National Guard, with VictorMcLaglen as tame understudy. And to place the matter be- yond all further dispute, he has had some fifteen years' ex-perience in the insurance business. It had to be that or real estate. As a sideline he has collected 130 trophies in aviationcontests. Wright was born at Clark Mills, N.Y., in 1895. His con-nection with aviation is post-war. A machine-gun officer in the 28th Division, A.E.F., he was wounded at Fismes (nearChateau Thierry) three months before the Armistice, and spent his convalescence at Issoudon, learning to fly. March, 1919, found him still in France, when and where he marrieda nursing sister from Richmond, Virginia. The bridal couple returned to America, set up house in Utica, N.Y., and raiseda family of three. For a while Wright combined insurance work with local representation of American Airways, Inc.Finally he took up racing in real earnest and joined the Air Racing Pilots' Association of America. His recent successesinclude the 1931 New York-Cleveland race, the Mexican Government Trophy won at the 1932 Miami meeting, andthe 1934 world's record (also at Miami) for "ships of the first category " with a speed of 169.8 m.p.h. Organised by Robert C. Edmunds (chairman), the UticaCivic Flight Committee is hard at work on a '' drive '' for additional funds to finalise the local lad's preparations forthe race to Australia. His Lambert Monocoupe (145 h.p. Warner " Super-Scarab "), purchased some months ago, hassince been entirely rebuilt by the Lambert Aircraft Corpora- tion at St. Louis, and the radial engine completely over-hauled by the Warner Aircraft Engine'Co. at Detroit. Wright's co-pilot in the MacRobertson contest is not yetselected. f * and the ENGLAND - AUSTRALIA RACE CPECIAL arrangements have been made by Flight to deal exhaustively with the MacRobertson Race. A special number will be published on October 18th, which will constitute a GUIDE TO THE MACROBERTSON RACE Details of competing machines, notes about competitors,and news of the final preparations at Mildenhall will be included, as well as a series of exclusive illustrationsof instructive value. Regular features of the journal will be retained. The succeeding issue, dated October 25th, will give further last-minute news of the race, scenes at the official start and progress of the competitors, and much other information of general interest. ORDER EARLY! FLIGHT of October 18th and October 25th.
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