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Aviation History
1939
1939-1- - 0462.PDF
136 0&3S AUGUST 10, 1935 THE FOLKESTONE TROPHY RACE Cinque Ports Meeting Favoured with Fine Weather : Hon. A. W.H. Dalrymple (Chilton), Wins at 126 m.p.h. BY averaging the excellent speed of 12G m.p.h. over three laps of a nineteen-mile course, a new Train-engined Chilton, piloted by the Hon. A. W. H. Dalrymple, won the Folkestone Aero Trophy race, organised last Saturday by the Cinque Ports Fly ing Club. Second and third places went to two of the club's Tiger Moths, flown respectively by Messrs. R. M. Hackney and J. A. M. DuPort, while the best time of the day was made by Capt. E. W. Percival, who covered the course at the remarkable speed of 230.5 m.p.h. Quite a number of visiting aircraft dropped in during the day for the race and heats at Lympne, in spite of the most threatening weather forecast of tor rential rain, with visibility closing right down. Contrariwise, the sun shone with brilliance for practically the entire dura tion of the racing to the immense relief of the organisers—but then the Cinque Ports Club is usually very fortunate with the weather. The Folkestone Trophy race is held over a course that lies in an easterly direction in relation to Lympne. The first turning point at the Capel Hangar, perched high on the cliffs to the north east of Folkestone, is nine miles away. The next leg, a short one of 2.3 miles, is to Folkestone Harbour pier and is fol lowed by a straight course along the coast direct to the Hythe gasometer (now camouflaged) before reaching the last leg of 2.6 miles back to Lympne. Last Saturday the wind—what little there was of it—lay in the north-east, with the result that most competitors- maintained their altitude at, the Capel Hangar turn all the way to the Lympne turning point via Folkestone and Hythe. As the starter's flag falls, the Train-engined Chilton starts ori in the final lor the Folkestone Trophy race. Piloted by the Hon. A. W. H. Dalrymple, the Chilton won at 126 m.p.h. Owing to the somewhat hazy conditions it was quite difficult to recognise the air craft as they approached from the direc tion of Hythe until practically the last minute. This fact not only kept the large crowd of spectators guessing, but also the commentator, Mr. Tony Morris, who did a very good job of work under rather trying conditions. Soon after mid-day the aircraft in the first heat were taxying over to the Start ing point. In this heat the limit man was Mr. F. Dawson Paul in the Chilton- Ford, Alex Henshaw, with "Pa," were scratch in their Vega Gull. By the end of the first lap Du Port's Tiger Moth had perceptibly gained on the limit man. The V.E.F., piloted by Robert Bruce, rounded the turning point on the aerodrome boundary in a remark- In the foreground are the handicappers and starters of the Folkestone Trophy race—Messrs. Dancy and Rowarth. The machine in the foreground, the Tiger Moth piloted by R. M. Hackney, finished second. ably tight turn to be followed by H. 0. Winter's Comper Swift. Unfortunately Winter misjudged the turning point, cut ting across on the inside. The finish of this heat was a credit to the handicappers, Messrs. Dancy and Rowarth. The first machine to appear over the trees from Hythe was Du Port's Tiger. As it approached the boundary Bruce in the V.E.F. rocketed past to win by one second. After a brief pause Miss Mona Friedlander's Falcon appeared level, as far as the eye could judge, with Winter's Comper, but as the pair of them crossed the line the Falcon was just in the lead. Unfortunately the Comper's indiscretion on the first lap, when it missed the Lympne turning point caused it to be disqualified. Even so, Winter had succeeded in averaging the remarkable speed of 152 m.p.h. After lunch the six starters in the second heat were waiting on the line promptly at 2.30 p.m. In this heat were one or two interesting machines. The scratch man was Capt. E. W. Percival with his gleaming Mew Gull. Tommy Rose was there w ith the faithful B.A. Eagle and Geoffrey De Havilland in the T.K.2. A newcomer was A. R. Ward's Chilton, piloted by the Hon. A. W. H. Dalrymple. This machine was powered wih a 40 h.p. Train engine and with the resultant modifications to the engine cowling, looked more than ever like a fighter in miniature. On the first lap Sqn. Ldr. E. L. Mole had trouble with the petrol feed in his Tipsy and near the Capel turn was forced to put down hastily in a field. Unfortu nately, he did not see until the last moment that the Tipsy was heading straight for the power cables of the Grid Scheme. Actually the Tipsy struck the cables a glancing blow before running into the ground at high velocity. Fortune was with Sqn. Ldr. Mole, for the Tipsy, although rather badly damaged—it had run through a hedge into the road—did not catch fire. The pilot, however, was rather badly cut and had to have some stitches put in his leg before returning.
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