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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 2103.PDF
JULY 29, 1937. FLIGHT. "5 ERNATIONAL the Jungmeister must be the world's best aerobatic device, but the pilots had to keep above 984ft. and their repertoire of fast and fully controlled flick rolls, outside half-loops and so forth was distressingly similar. The three finalists were: Obits. Walo Hoerning and Hans Kuhn (Swiss) and Count Otto Hagenburg (Germany), in that order, and all flying Jung- meisters. Unfortunately, Hoerning's seat came adrift during the final, later in the day, and the ultimate order was re versed, Count Hagenburg obtaining 158 points. Hoerning is an Alpar pilot, while Kuhn is serving a radio operator's apprenticeship with Swissair. The next event was the start of the formation flying contest with five Swiss-built Fokkers led by Hptm. Charles Schlegel, and a squadron of French Dewoitine fighters led by Capt. Ravmond Destaillac. Their performances gave us something to think about. Meanwhile, Mile. Deutsch de la Meurthe had arrived in a Farcnan and the U.S. Air Attache in Paris, Mr. Schunan, had arrived in a Caudron Simoun. The British Air Attaches from Paris and Berlin were already present. Fast and Slow As a contrasting spectacle it would have been difficult to have put two more suitable machines into the air together than the new B.F.W. (Me. 109) and the Fieseler Stork. The former is one of Germany's last-word fighter monoplanes (comparable with the Hawker Hurricane) and flown by an unnamed B.F.W. test pilot, while the latter is a sort of super-H.P. Gugnunc—a 240 h.p. Argus-engined, three-place monoplane all covered with slots and flaps. It certainly did its stuff in the hands of Col. Udet—off the ground in twenty yards or less, 45-deg. slow-motion climb and autogiroptic land ing. Its top speed is 130 m.p.h., and it might be worth operating a 240 h.p. motor for the sake of the genuine tennis- court landing and take-off. While the Fieseler sat about the sky, the B.F.W. thundered around at 300 m.p.h. or so. Then came the Italian Fiat staffel—led by Capt. Remondino —and what a show ! Ten machines flying together or in flights of five; formation loops, rolls and stalled turns; individual rolls and stalled turns ; and, finally, a grand individual " shoot-up " from all directions. Here and there pilots lost position, but on the follow ing day they were due to be well-nigh perfect. Keeping up the good work, Herr Acbgelis forthwith took up Casual inspection of the new Heinkel fighter, which made an unofficial appearance, suggests the use of a canon in addition to normal armament. his skywriting F.W. Stieglitz, filling the air with smoke while going through all known aerobatics, including a full outside loop at positively zero altitude. Our nerves were not to be given a rest. As soon as the Stieglitz had landed M. James Williams leapt from a Swissair Fokker, throwing away his parachutes in rapid succession and pausing for an unpleasant length of time before opening his sixth. We began to wonder whether he had miscounted and used them all up. After three Czech Avias had given an aerobatic demonstra tion, Adj. Troyes demonstrated a French Autogiro, and finally Lt. Fleurquin led his six Moranes through the sky in all attitudes and at no altitude to speak of. They were out to show the Italians what they could do, and they certainly showed them. Timing and execution could not have been bettered, and the formation aerobatics, even when carried out at 200 ft., were smooth, safe and almost quiet. Meanwhile a formation of sailplanes had been towed over the airport by three machines, one towing three sailplanes and the others towing two each. Allowing for the fact that up- and down-currents must have affected them all very much, the pilots, once loose, kept their formation very well indeed and landed almost together; only one pilot, who found himself too low to continue a circuit, had to break away, and even he landed more or less with the others. A very pretty exhibition. On Sunday morning competitors and others were received by Dr. Motta, the Swiss President, who came to the airport for the afternoon meeting, which opened again with a Hag-
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