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Aviation History
1938
1938 - 1835.PDF
JUNE 30, 1938. FLIGHT. 627 THE KING'S CUP RACE Next Saturday's Important Event : Facts for Spectators and Some Notes for Pilots , < WITH twenty-one entries, one ofwhich has been scratched since the original list appeared, next Saturday's air race for the cup presented by His Majesty the King and for a total of £2,000 in cash prizes presented by Lord Wakefield, takes place over a triangular course starting from Hatfield aerodrome. It is the seventeenth of the series. This year there is no preliminary eliminating race. The triangular course measures only 50.607 miles, but twenty laps will be made, constituting a total distance of 1,012.14 miles. Every five laps each competitor will make a com- pulsory stop of 40 minutes at Hatfield. Turning points are near a large and conspicuous new factory at Buntingford Village, Herts, and at Barton aerodrome, Beds. Competitors must round a pylon at each turn, keeping it not more than 200 yards on their left. Spectators will be admitted to Hatfield at a charge of 2s. 6d. for the special enclosure, and is. for the public enclo- sure, with car park charges of 2s. 6d. and is. respectively. There are also en- closures at Barton aerodrome with an ad- mission charge of is. (cars, 2s. 6d.). The race is, of course, a handicap (assumed handicap allowances based on the 140 h.p. minimum speed are given on this page) and the first competitor is due to start at 9 a.m. The Royal Aero Club emphasises that no visiting aircraft may land at Hatfield after 8.30 a.m. Those arriving later should land at the Handley Page aerodrome at Radlett, though it is pointed out that no service other than A.A. parking will be avail- able, since the Handley Page personnel will be on holiday. A transport service to Hatfield, is, however, being arranged by the R.Ae.C. Barton visitors must land at Luton, five miles south. It is expected that the race will finish about 5.30 p.m. ... ..,•• ROUND THE COURSE TF the visibility is reasonably good next •*- Saturday there should be no difficulty about flying an immediately accurate course over the comparatively small tri- angular track chosen for the King's Cup Race. The legs are each less than twenty HANDICAP SPEEDS. Based on an Assumed 140 m.p.h. for Limit Machines. Race No. 1 3 4 5 2 7 6 8 9 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 in 2021 22 23 H'cap Speed m.p.h. 140 140 140 140 142 143 149 152i 155J156J 1601 161 162 1635 166J 176 187 2021 212 218 227 Pilot Barwick ... Hughesdon Clous ton ... Stent Cliff Tutt Edwards I.owe Hope Morton Warren Broad Ferrand Waller Humble De Havilland Fontes Staniland .. Guthrie ... Henshaw ... Percival ... Aeroplane. Hawk Trainer. Cygnet ...Eagle Monarch ... Hawk Major Pobjoy C,,..' f •own 1. Cirrus GullGipsy Swift Gipsv Swift Double Jiagle. HeckHeck Gull Vega Gull Sparrow- hawk. T.K.2 ...HawkMk.2. Comet Mew Gull... Mew Gull... Mew Gull... Allowance h. 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 m. 46 46 46 46 40 37 20 10 3 0 51 40 47 44 37 17 57 32 18 11 — s. 33 33 33 33 26 26 18 56 14 44 3 52 32 6 23 40 20 2617 4 miles in length and, at least with a high-speed machine, even with an incorrect drift allowance on the first lap, verylittle should be lost. However, with poor visibility and astrong wind blowing, it will behove the competitors to be careful about theirlandmarks, which, on the first leg at least, are neither numerous nor particu-larly obvious. In fact, the only notable ones on this leg are the station at Wel-wyn Garden City, which is rather too STALBAN; A sketch of th* mm-** made with the aid of the special map produced by the A.A. near the start to be of any value (leaving the viaduct on the left). and the halt on the two-track railway passing through Wat ton. The magnetic bearing of this track is 52 deg. The second leg, which is on a bearing of 28S deg. M., passes more or less directly between Letchworth and Hitchin, where a triple railway fork is to all intents and purposes directly on the track. The third leg would be flown in still air on 161 deg. M., and it is her© that the effect of any drift in a strong wind, which will probably be blowing from the south-west, is likely to be noticeable. However, the track passes Luton airport, which should be left almost exactly a mile to starboard, and, nearer home, over the station at VVheat- hampstead which should provide a final check to prevent more than a fractional loss of time in arriving accurately at the home turning point. Fortunately, again in case of poor visi- bility, the turning points at Buntingford and Barton are clearly distinguishable by reason of the white-painted factories and hangars seen respectively at the two points When approaching Buntingford the pylon will be seen to the right of the factory. That at Barton Aerodrome had not been erected when we flew round the course last week-end, but will be seen beyond the buildings on the aerodrome. At Hatfield the pylon lies quite close to the road dividing the old and new parts of the aerodrome and which forms the north-east boundary of the landing area proper. Much of the course is over ground which is at 300 and 500 ft. above sea level. The Buntingford turn, for instance, is at about 300 ft. That at Barton, how- ever, is in a hollow between two ranges of hills. Here, consequently, it is un- likely that the competitors will fly- particularly low, since almost immedi- ately after the turn they must pass over a 450 ft. hill to the left of the main-road cutting; before reaching this turn they will also have been flying over country which is from 100 to 200 ft. higher thanthe aerodrome itself. When approaching Hatfield the drop in ground height issmall and gradual, and on the outward leg, again, the ground does not rise muchduring the first five miles. It is likely, therefore, that Hatfield and Buntingfordwill provide the more spectacular vantage points. The actual distances on the three legsare 15.71, 18.52 and 16.37 miles respec- tively, starting from Hatfield.
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