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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0803.PDF
AIRCRAFT ENGINEER FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD t FOUNDED 1909 Editor C. M. POULSEN Managing Editor C. GEOFFREY SMITH Chief Photographer JOHN YOXALL Editorial, Advertising and Publishing Offices: DORSET HOUSE, STAMFORD STREET, LONDON, S.E.1 Telegrams : Traditur, Sedist, London. Telephone : Waterloo 3333 (50 linei). 8-10, CORPORATION ST., COVENTRY. Telegrams: Autocar, Coventry. Telephone; Coventry 5210. GUILDHALL BUILDINGS. NAVIGATION ST.. BIRMINGHAM, 2. Telegrams: Autopress, Birmingham. Telephone: Midland 2971 (5 lines). 260. DEANSGATB, MANCHESTER, 3. Telegrams: Iliffe, Manchester. Telephone: Blackfriars 4412. 26B, RENFIELD ST., GLASGOW, C.2. Telegrams: Iliffe, Glasgow Telephone: Central 4857.' SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Home and Canada: Other Countries: Year, Year, «1 13 0. £1 IS 0. 6 months, 16s. 6d. 6 months, 18s. Od. 3 months, 8s. 6d. 3 months, 9s. Od. No. 1578. Vol. XXXV. MARCH 23, 1939. Thursdays, Price 66. The Outlook- Poor Rowcy ! I N its Official Notices this week (p. 302) the Royal Aero Club announces that this year's regulations for the King's Cup Race "will establish it as the most remarkable air contest yet devised." That may very well be, although not, perhaps, quite in the way the Club Notices intended. Although the full details have not been announced, it appears that the race is to be "open to all," provided they can maintain a speed of at least 140 m.p.h. There is no limit on engine power, and the course will be a short 20-mile one, flown in four sections of five laps each. Machines will be re-handicapped between sections, and pulling'' will be penalised (if proved!) by loss of marks. Shades of Bournemouth ! With a few Hurricanes and Spitfires (if the Air Ministry can be persuaded to lend a few for the day) and a couple of Albatrosses going "around the sticks" and overtaking the smaller fry which will be ambling along at 150 m.p.h. or so, there should be enough thrills to satisfy the most hardened spectator. At the Bournemouth meetings of ill-repute there were anything up to 70 or 80 machines taking part, but they were mostly slow—Moths and such-like, with ancient S.E.5S as the top notchers. And yet there were fatal collisions. Messrs. Rowarth and Dancy, those inseparables whose names ought, for handicap purposes only and not in their official Air Ministry capacities, to be contracted into Rowcy, will have a lively time. If they are wise they will turn up at Birmingham (did we say Birmingham? Wonder what put that into our heads?), or at any rate at whichever "leading provincial airport" is selected, in (>hain mail and armour. An unfortunate competitor may -et his airscrew into fine pitch during one of the sets, and afterwards improve his speed by getting it into coarse. Unless he could convince the officials that this had hap pened accidentally, he would be penalised for "pulling." In ordinary races Messrs. Rowcy do at least know whom they have offended even before the start. But after re- handicapping three times almost anyone is apt to go for them. The C.A.G. Race I T is quite a good idea to fly the race for Lord Wake field's Challenge Trophy interleaved between the sets of the main King's Cup Race. At 85 m.p.h. and upwards the small machines will add a pleasant con trast to the projectiles, and as Flight has always believed, there is a feeling which can only be described as "intimacy" in watching slow machines going around turning points; a feeling which is lacking in the case of the really fast stuff, which must necessarily make a wide, sweeping turn. As the official announcement states that the method of running and handicapping will be similar to those of the main race, it is to be assumed that re-handicapping between sets will be done where it is found necessary. The Rowcy slide rules will certainly be working overtime. The postponement of the race until September is, on the whole, to be welcomed. Not only is the weather often . particularly clear in early September (a race around pylons in thick weather would be impossible), but the extra time should make it possible to get finished in time for the race several machines which could not have been got ready earlier. This fact may help to swell the entries list, both for the King's Cup and the Wakefield Trophy. It will certainly be interesting to see how the British version of the American National Air Races will turn out.
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