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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1986.PDF
l«*mi (Left) Mrs. Y. M. Grace receives the congratulations of the Hon. Max Aitken on receiving the women's prize. (Right) Hugh , Trophy. On his right hand is Capt. Christie (third) and on his left H. Hayhow (second). "Flight" photographs dall with the coveted ing on to the lighthouse like two seagulls after the same piece offish; it rather looked as though the Wicko pilot had not seen the other aircraft turning below. A few minutes later Lawrence'sMessenger (above) and Fisher's Miles Monarch (below) also did some close stacking, but neither incident really approached the"phenomenal avoidance" category. Derek Dempster's Chilton and Ross's Hawk Trainer turnedvery low and close in, but thereafter, with the faster and less "nippy" aircraft arriving, few other pilots passed within a stone'sthrow—not that anyone, with the possible exception of the inter- rupted anglers, contemplated such action. Mclntosh's Proctor was emitting a Thunderjet-like trail ofblack smoke, and the engine of Lyle's Proctor was misfiring. Purvis (Proctor), after making his turn towards the land, took acourse about a mile to the north-west of the accepted track over FINAL RESULTS Pos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Start Pos. 9 18 16 37 5 2 35 22 24 3 35 21 15 1 20 H'cap m s 08.20 19.20 18.00 32.05 04.25 02.30 31.35 21.40 22.00 03.30 31.35 21.20 16.35 00.00 20.00 Pilot, Aircraft and Engine H. M. Kendall (Chilton D.W.1, Carden Ford) T. W. Hayhow (Aimer Aiglet, Gipsy Major I) Capt. J. H. Christie (Klemm K1 35O, Hirth) W/C. R. H. Mclntosh (Proctor I, Gipsy Queen II) D. G. S. Cotter (Taylorcraft Plus D, Cirrus Minor I) ... G. Marler (Tiger Moth, Gipsy Major I) L. C. Marmol (Proctor I, Gipsy Queen II) W. P. I. Fillingham (D.H. Moth Minor Coupe, Gipsy Minor I) W. P. Bowles (Miles Messenger Ma, Cirrus Major II). Mrs. Y. M. Grace (Taylorcraft Plus D, Cirrus Minor I) ... ... .,. E. Day (Hawk Trainer III, Gipsy Major I) Miss E. L. Curtis (Wicko G.M. I, Gipsy Major I) E. W. Westbrook (Messenger IVa, Gipsy Major Id) Caot. R. E. Gillman (Avro Avian 4M, Gipsy II) E. Ross (Hawk Trainer III, Gipsy Major I) Finishedat 1 hr+ m s 27 23 25 11 38 40 12 22 22 42 14 24 29 46 26 11 10 07 12 56 58 35 50 31 10 19 47 44 20 21 Speed m.p.h 129.0 13S.0 132.0 158.0 113.5 111.5 155.0 135.5 136.0 110.0 151.5 132.5 125.5 105.5 130.0 Prize*:—"Daily Express" Challenge Trophy and £1.000; 2nd, £500; 3rd, £250. Other cash prizes ranging from £100 for 4th place to £10 for 15th place. Mrs. Y. M. Grace wins £50 for best performance by a woman pilot. Other placings: 16, R. R. Paine (Hawk Speed Six); 17, W. W. Lyle (Proctor); '8, H. A. Purvis (Proctor); 19, D. J. Bennett (Proctor); 20, H. Wood (Proctor) 21. B. F. Francis (Auster); 22, J. P. Crowther (Proctor); 23. Mrs. J. H. Ashton (Hawk Trainer); 24, J. K. Quill (Spitfire); 25. Mrs. Z. Irwin (Proctor); 26, A. L. Cole (Comper Swift); 27, T. Scott (Proctor); 28, F. Murphy (Hurricane); 29, K. C. nillican (Proctor); 30, G/C. G. F. K. Donaldson (Taylorcraft Plus D); 31, H. J. G. Turner (Hawk Trainer); 32, P. M. A. Hull (Gipsy Moth); 33, L. Clement (Lignel *)•' 34, J, T. Basnett (Hawk Trainer); 35, L. Bonii (Ambrosini S.7); 36, S/L. I. Rush (falcon Six); 37, A. E. Coltman (Hawk Major); 38. J. N. Somers (Gemini): 39. Dr. D. <•• Little (Vega Gull); 40, P/O. M. R. T. Chandler (Hawk Trainer); 41, F. C. Fisher (Mi'es Monarch); 42, Capt. R. J. Crosfreld (Autocrat); 43. H.R.H. Prince Alexander (Proctor); 44, A. S. K. Paine (Proctor); 45, J. G. Gamier (Noricrin): 46, R. G. nlkmgton (Auster); 47, D. D. Dempster (Chilton D.W.1); 48, H. E. Scrape (Pust ™^>; 49, Mme. Pierre Genin (Whitney Straight); 50, P/O. N. D. Norman (Moth "»ior); 51, F/L. P. Raymond (Hawk Trainer); 52, S/L. N. Duke (Hawker Tomtit); "• S. F. Bullen (Hawker Hart); 54, Paul Genin (Beechcraft Bonanza); 55, J. O. Nathews (Tipsy junior). R tired: P. G. Lawrence (Messenger), I. A. Forbes (Nighthawk), F. Dunkerley ' f ''iini). C. B. Wilson (Proctor III) was disqualified for passing inside a turnirg- the high ground behind Seaford, but perhaps this was deliberate,for he seemed to have found himself a very convenient valley. Of the fast brigade, Garnier's Norecrin, easily recognisable byits extreme dihedral, made a beautifully clean turn, as did Count Bonzi in the graceful Ambrosini; and the two Gemini experts,Somers and Dunkerley, in close company, executed the steep, spectacular pylon turns expected of them. Inevitably, for theypassed by so long afterwards and their turns were necessarily so wide, the back-marking Hurricane and Spitfire attracted littleattention. Altogether it had been a most stimulating spectacle; and theR.O.C. were not called upon to report a single infringement, for no competitor had turned "inside" the lighthouse. * Before very long, the leaders were coming through to the finish,this time flying a mile or so out to sea on their track from Beachy Head (where most of them had been over 500ft below the cliff-topobservers!) to the West Pier. Kendall's Chilton was so far ahead of the expected time that some people missed him altogether, andothers assumed that it had nothing to do with the race. What seemed to be the contest proper was led at this point (so far ascould be seen against the sun) by Hayhow's Aiglet about 200 yards ahead of Cotter's Taylorcraft and Marler's Tiger Moth,and slowly drawing away from them; then there was a gap of a couple of miles before a whole gaggle of aircraft followed, withChristie's Klemm coming quickly through. The last 18 miles from Newhaven to the finishing post held noworries for Kendall, who thus managed to beat the handicappers by a margin which has not been bettered since Wally Hope's FoxMoth came home 20 minutes ahead of schedule in the King's Cup of 1932. A bevy of mystified handicappers descended onKendall after he had landed, but having grilled him at length, were apparently satisfied that their slide rules must have slipped. Hayhow's Aiglet managed to hang on to a diminishing lead fromCaptain Christie's bubble-canopied Klemm monoplane, which was seen slipping past Cotter's Taylorcraft just after leavingNewhaven. The first woman pilot home, Mrs. Y. M. Grace, flying a Taylorcraft belonging to the Elstree Flying Club, wasawarded a special prize of £50. D. G. Cotter, in another of Elstree's Taylorcraft, was also passed on the home stretch by the creamProctor of the veteran W/C. R. H. Mclntosh. "Incidents" were provided by three of the test-pilot entrants, Messrs. Lawrence, Forbes and Quill, the first-named having to force-land in a small field near Faversham, when an airscrew blade came adrift on his Bombardier-powered Messenger. Ian Forbes also experienced trouble with his Nighthawk, in the form of a burnt-out vacuum pump, and he had to return to his base at Redhill. Geoffrey Quill landed his Spitfire 22 at Tangmere with fuel trouble. The redoubtable Fred Dunkerley also retired from the race, for reasons unknown. The actual finishing order was slightly modified when the R.O.C. reported that C. B. Wilson's Proctor had passed inside a turning point and was therefore dis- qualified; he would otherwise have taken ninth place. The magnificent Daily Express Trophy, and a cheque for £1,000 were handed to a smiling Hugh Kendall by G/C. the Hon. Max Aitken, D.S.O., D.F.C., on behalf of the Daily Express. Fifteen other competitors also received cash prizes ranging from £5°° to £10. The Daily Express and the Royal Aero Club—whose officialshad worked like Trojans both before and during the race—deserve the warmest congratulation on the determined way in which theyhad gone ahead with their plans after the initial discouragement.
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