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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0943.PDF
JUNE :^TH, 1948 FLIGHT 683 A MODEL DAY H.M. the Queen andH.R.H. Princess Margaret at the Northern Heights Gala Leslie Smith, with his Highclimber, which won the Queen's Cup, is here shown telling Her Majesty about his mode! before being presented with the magnificent trophy, which can be seen at the right of the picture. BRIGHT sunshine dappled the fresh-mown grass ofLangley Airfield in a fretted mosaic of movementas the shadowed masses of piled cumulus were driven down the sky by a fresh wind out of the north. Rapidly a concourse of enthusiasts gathered for the principal day • in the model aeronautical calendar, the annual Gala of the Northern Heights Model Flying Club: and this particular day, June 20th, 1948, was to have a very special place in the minds of all concerned, by seeing the inauguration of the Queen's Cup contest, the .magnificent trophy which was to be presented personally by Her Majesty. From places as far scattered as Gosport, Birmingham, Yeovil, Bradford, Swindon and Halifax, they came, young, middle-aged and old, to fly, to assist in flying or just to watch the efforts of others, and, whilst in every direction trial flights and trial runs of the tiny power units were being made, the first event of the day, that for the Flight Cup, was got under way. This trophy is presented for an open duration contest for gliders of any type and it is with considerable pleasure that we are able to record that this year's winner, R. Yeabsley, of Croydon, in winning the contest, also established, subject to confirmation, a new British national record with an observed time of 56 minutes, 53.6 seconds, his glider then being lost to sight in cloud: a very fine achievement. As the crowds of people became ever more densely thronged, the wind veered round gradually to east by north and one saw many models taken helplessly in the general direction of Windsor, their owners resignedly trotting after them. However,, as the day wore on, the wind once more backed round towards the north and dropped to the quality of a zephyr breeze, which not only helped the various con- testants but also made perfect conditions for the Royal visit. Arrival of the Royal Party Shortly after four o'clock, Her Majesty the Queen, accompanied by Princess Margaret Rose, arrived and was welcomed bv Dr. A. P. Thurston, the President of the (Left) Her Majesty the Queen and Princess Margaret were greeted on their arrival by Dr. and Mrs. Thurston. (Right) Mr. G. Geoffrey Smith, Editorial Director of "Flight," is seen being presented to the Queen. Her Majesty was interested to learn that "Flight " was the oldest weekly aeronautical journal in the world.
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