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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1469.PDF
AUGUST 25™, 1949 233 NUMBERS, COMPETITORS AND GLIDERS Launching the EoN Olympia of the Empire Test Pilots' School. lined to British Nationals. Thus the stage was set for a weekof very interesting soaring if the weather did not refuse to play its part. The present anti-cylone weather, coupled with somewind, might well result in the new "standing-wave" soar- ing technique being used in competitive scaring for the firsttime. On Sunday, for the beginning of competitive flying, themeteorologists had nothing more exciting to offer than some more warm and rather quiet anti-cyclonic weather. The centreof the anti-cyclone had shifted to the North Sea but it was feared that the light, variable southerly winds which it wascausing would not be sufficiently strong for soaring the south slope. Scattered thermals were expected to rise to about3,000ft locally and possibly higher later on, with increasing southerly winds. Again, therefore, it would be a matter oftrying to connect with the rising air during the short respite offered by a winch launch. D. Reid (Weihe) tied with CjC. Murray for second-best cross- country flight on Sunday, covering 59 miles, to land at Dishforth. Three winches were put into operation and the competitorsbegan to queue up opposite them at the other end of the field. A few pilots seemed to locate the sky-hooks and before lunchthree had managed to hang on long enough to drift slowly away at a useful height—G/C. Murray and F/L.- Mallett, in two ofthe B.A.F.O. Weihes, and the guest from the Argentine. They were followed by Robertson (Olympia EoN) an hour later. It was feared earlier in the day that a sheet of medium cloudmight interfere with solar heating of the ground, but for- tunately it dispersed completely; even if the weather whichresulted was not absolutely ideal for soaring-away it was certainly first-class for the crowd of 6,000-odd spectators. At lunch-time the Under-Secretary of State for Air,Mr. Geoffrey de Freitas, who had landed at Woodford in an Anson, came over to watch the proceedings.One of the team from the Empire Test Pilots' School had the misfortune to drop the team's Olympia, while landing,from a sufficient height to break its back. Soon after lunch another batch ot live pilots went away,slowly gyrating upwards through the sunny haze towards the cumuli well scattered in the sky In such weather, and withwinch launching, a great element of luck adds itself to or B 27 D.G.O. Hiscox (Olympia EoN). Bristol Gliding Club—K. W. Turner, C. Staffurth (Olympia EoN). J. Hurry, N. P. Anson. J. Buckley (Olympia EoN). P. J. Cooper, A. A. J. Sanders. A. H. Yates (Olympia EoN). J. S. Armstrong, L. R. Robertson, E. H. Taylor, L. R. Bulling (Olympia EoN). T. Rex Young, A. N. Other (Olympia EoN). G. H. Lee. C. J. Arnold (Slignsby Gull I). Prince Birapongse (Weihe). P. A. Wills (Weihe). E. Swale, T. Dolan, Margaret Swale (Olympia EoN). Empire Test Pilots' School—Lt.-Cdr. P. S. Wilson, R.N. (Olympia EoN). C. J. Wingfield, D. Ince (Olympia EoN). D. A. Smith (Olympia EoN). •> A. H. Warminger, J. C. Ward, P. O. Gould (Olympia EoN). Surrey Gliding Club—J. C. Neilan, W. A. H. Kahn, D. Reid, D. Brown fWeihe/. Imperial College Gliding Club—R. A. B Macfie, P. Murden, R. Nurney, F. G Irving (Olympia EoN). Surrey Gliding Club—J. A. Sowrey, G. R. E. C. Gregory, C. W." Dowdall, W. F. Jordan (Olympia EoN). London Gliding Club—P. A. Lang, J. R. Court, H. G. Wheatcrott (Kirby Prelect 30B). London Gliding Club—C. A. P. Ellis, L. Wright, A. E. Rowley (Kirby Gull IV). 12 Group Gliding Club—W/C. A. J. M. Smyth, F/O. F. Hutchinson, Pit. H. Cempel, F/O. T. R. D. La Touche (King Kite). B.A.F.O. Gliding Club—F/L. P. G. Mallett, F/L. C. T. Lynas (Weihe). B.A.F.O. Gliding Club—F/L. R. C. Forbes, S/L. A. A. Binks (Weihe). Association of B.A.F.O. Gliding Clubs—G/C. W. B. Murray, Sgt. D. Campion (Weihe). G/C. G. J. C. Paul, J. W. Leach (Kirby Kite II). Cambridge University Gliding Club—P. H. Blanchard, J. Free, T. G. Phillips, F. R. Ward (Olympia EoN). Cambridge University Gliding Club—J. W. S. Pringle, J. Grantham. D. U Martlew, A. L. L. Alexander (Kranich). Dr. A. Derkedder, S. C. O'Grady, A. C. Burmingham (Petrel). Derbyshire and Lancashire Gliding Club—R. D. Roper, H. O. Midwood (Gull I). R. D. Dickson, G. Thompson, P. W. Leech (Viking). Sr. Ortner (Olympia). 22. 23. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. H. Wheatcroft, C.F.I, of the London Gliding Club, ready to take-off. cancels out the skill of the pilot. The precise time of launch-ing matters a great deal. That ten pilots should succeed in getting away from a 700IIwinch-launch in the difficult, windless conditions shows the* great progress which thermal-soaring technique has made sincethe war. Before long, the retrieving trek started in earnest. G/C. Murray and F/L. Mallett were followed by theirretrieving teams in 15-cwt Service lorries as closely as roads would allow, greatly assisted by their two-way radio-telephonesets, which were functioning well. The long sailplane trailers, incidentally, had to pass on the narrow moorland roads someof Ihe 1,600 cars which were admitted to the official car park. The light S.S.W. wind invited the pilots who got away tomake for Yorkshire. Philip Wills, winner of the last National Contest and holder of the height and distance records, gained asubstantial lead by reaching his declared goal at Catterick— the longest flight of the day, 74 miles—in 1 hr 55 min; havingclimbed to 7,000ft, he covered the last 40 miles of his flight in a straight glide, flying blind on a compass course through cloudand thick industrial haze. Other cross-country flights were achieved by the competitors listed below. J. C. Name G/C. W. B. Murray (Weihe) D. Reid (Weihe) L. R. Robertson (Olympia EoN) L. Wright (Kirby Gull IV) F/L. P. G. Mallett (Weihe) D. G. O. Hiscox (Olympia EoN) D. A. Smith (Olympia EoN) P. H. Blanchard (Olympia EoN) J. Ortner (Olympia EoN) Mileage 59 59 54 54 50 49 31 22 60 Place of LandingDishforth East Moor York Airport do. (goal flight) _/ RufforthMarston Moor Loft house Barnsley Brafferton
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