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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1023.PDF
JULY 8TH, 1948 FLIGHT 33- The Spitfires of No. 501 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, mckng a low run over the crowd.' HAMBLE HEYDAY Air Service Training Ltd. on Show : Varied Ground and Air Programme THE flying display and Open Day organized by AirService Training at Hamble, in favour of the Hamblebranch of the British Legion and the Southampton branch of the Royal Air Force Association, was given a cracking start with a closed-circuit race over three laps of a 6|-mile circuit, the competing aircraft, three Tiger Moths, an Auster V, Proctor I, Oxford and Spitfire 9, providing an interestingly diverse field. The Tigers respectively belonged %'tb No. 14 R.F.S. Hamble, Southampton University and A.S.T., these, with the Auster V, being limit entries against the 44-minute handicap of the Proctor and Oxford and the 6|-minute handicap of the Spitfire, the latter, of course, being at scratch. During the first lap, the positions changed once or twice prior to the Auster taking the lead on the last leg. As the limit men finished their first lap with tight turns round the control tower, the Proctor and the Oxford took off. T'he pilot of the Oxford kept well down on his take-off and made a rather wide climbing turn round the control tower, so allowing the Proctor to sweep inside him and run into the lead. For some reason or another, Duff-Mitchell, flying the Proctor, seemed to miss the first turning point and this mistake cost him his lead over the Oxford, which position he never recovered. As the Oxford took the lead just before turning into the last leg of his first lap, W/C. Stratton took off in the Spit 9. From thence it was a straight handi- cap race with the Oxford and Proctor chasing the Tigers and Auster, and the Spitfire chasing the lot. However, when the limit men were coming up to the control tower for the start of their last lap, they were rapidly overhauled by both Oxford and Proctor and then went round the tower in a fairly close-knit bunch with the Spitfire, travelling com- paratively at a tremendous speed, also going round at the same altitude but, necessarily, in a much wider sweep. This was very nearly as exciting as the finish. The Auster, which had maintained its lead throughout, was desperately fleeing along its final run-up to the control tower when the Spitfire was making its last turn, but A distinguished visitor. Sir Alliot Verdon-Roe R. i. F. barton, the Commandant of Air Service Twining.
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