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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1114.PDF
FLIGHT- OCTOBER 25, 1934-1 ••!•• 14. 1 Air vent, landing li ghtsand pitot head on the Douglas O.C.2. In the meantime the Douglas D.C.2 had made landings at Jask, Karachi, and had reached Allahabad at 2.11 p.m., leaving again in exactly an hour. So they were more than 1 thousand miles behind the leaders. Anything might happen, and the Dutchman was running to schedule just as K.L.M. had planned — like any good transport service. It had even returned to Allahabad to pick up a straying pas- senger !r Unusual aileron arrange-ment on the Panderjager. The Pander S.4 had left Karachi, and were flying third in the speed race. But luck was against them. Either one or both of the " retractiles " failed to come down properly, and the big machine touched on one wing tip and a propeller blade. So Asjes and Geysendorffer were out of the race after being less than two hours behind the Douglas. Col. Roscoe Turner's Boeing was running third, at least for the time being. He had left Karachi and reached Allahabad at 10.5 p.m. after a worrying journey. With his fuel supply running short, Turner had been well off his course and had only reached the aerodrome at the last minute. Allahabad had received several messages, but evidently Turner had then heard no reply, otherwise he would have brought his own D. /F. equipment into action and "led himself in." However, Allahabad eventually guided them in. The Boeing was soon The cockpits of the Irish Swoop (which was with-drawn at the last moment) with the transparent roof removed. The D./F. equipment is of U.S.Navy pattern. t M 0* ' A BRUSH-UP : The primitive but satisfactory meansused for making Mildenhall an aerodrome fit for heroes to depart from. (Flight Photo.) on its way after the leaders At 9.30 a.m. (G.M.T. the leading '' Comet'' wa sighted over Timor Island— a little more than five hun dred miles from Darwin. I appeared as if, with eigh hours' lead, Scott was almos a certain winner, but, a: Mr. Bruce remarked at thi pilot's banquet, "when ; competitor reaches Australis he has only just begun thi race ! " Parmentier and Mol left Singapore at 7.30 a.m. and stated that they wen going "all out" after Scott - As the Douglas cruises a: 180 odd on sixty per cent of the throttle opening, this might be taken to meai nothing or everything. They reached Batavia, the las of their "known" route, at 10.30 a.m. (G.M.T.), ant Roscoe Turner was reported as having passed Rangoon 01 his way to Singapore. The second "Comet" arrived a Allahabad at 8.40 a.m. (G.M.T.). It seemed that the unlucky Mollisons were definite^ out of the race, though there was still hope of a place— anything might yet happen to the leaders. The changing wind on the route between Karachi and Allahabad hac worried them as well as the crew of the Boeing, and the] had landed at Jubbulpore after flying part of the way 01 one engine. The oil trouble that was to cause such anxietj in the later stages of Scott's winning flight had: begun. A1 Allahabad it was discovered that two pistons were crackec and the cylinders scored Then came the magnificent news. Scott had reachec Darwin at 11.8 a.m. (G.M.T.) after flying for two days four and a half hours. The record had been " quartered " ! Half an hour later, when fuller details came through, th« facts were more than disquieting. For two and a half hour- the '' Comet'' had been flown over the Timor Sea on on< engine ; the other had seized up. Would it be possible t< do anything about it, and could Scott get off on one engine with a lighter load? It was known that the "Comet' could fly comfortably on one motor. Within two and a half hours, the engine had been a1 least partially freed and the "Comet" was bound for th< next control. But how much could the Douglas gain while Scott was nursing his damaged engine? Parmentier anc Moll were flying between Batavia and Rambang, and the Boeing had left Alor Star. Among the comparatively slow people—many of whort were, incidentally, making flights which would be con- sidered "records" in normal times—the amazing "Haw!
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