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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 2114.PDF
LIGHT, 19 October 1951 Three vehicles were involved at the start of the journey. The car carried the pasenger and baggage to the Gemini while the motor-bike, left, seen stripped before being stowed in the aircraft, carried the pilot. On the right, the motor-bike is seen in position across the back seats of the Gemini. CONTINENTAL RALLIES . . . Gatwick or Lympne, there is no fee if the landing is made so'e'y for Customs clearance. The most convenient and popular Customs field on the French side is probably Le Touquet. Here a small landing charge is made, but everything is done very efficiently and met. and flying control have been first-class this year. The V.H.F. radio (117.9) is also good, and English can be used for requests and instructions. The airport manager, M. Sainsard, told us recently that a competition is to be organized for visiting pilots, a cup and a sizeable cash prize being awarded to the one who gains most points in a season. The number of visits and the distance flown each time will determine the number of points to be awarded towards the grand total. The cuisine at Le Touquet is very good under the latest management, but prices are high. At other airfields in France they often talk jokingly about the "poor tourists" and the "bandits at Le Touquet." The convenience of having a good meal with a wide selection of dishes waiting at the airfield at almost all times must, of course, be paid for. Our experience is that a good lunch for two will cost about £3. This is roughly twice what one would normally expect to pay. Occasionally, rallies entice entrants rather further afield, and particularly memorable, for example, have been those organized by the Spanish Royal Aero Club with the Duke of Ahnadova del Rio as chief host. The week's air tour of Spain, though strenuous, is most enjoyab'e. Recently a small invitation rally was arranged by the Aero Club de l'Aude at Carcassonne, situated in the South of France, not far from the Spanish border. As an end-of- season affair it suited a few people very well, and while the reluctant English sun prepared to depart altogether for the winter, it was very tempting to chase after the autumn warmth still to be found in the South of France. Like other participants, we decided to link up the rally with a few days' holiday, and set oSf in a leisurely manner from Fair Oaks with two or three days to spare. Weather permitting, the journey could, in fact, have been made in the day without any great difficulty or hurry. In the event, evening was arriving by the time our Gemini had reached Tours— another pleasant venue for British aircraft on the occasions of air rallies organized by the local Aero Club de Touraine. Convenient and speedy though air travel can be, there is always the problem of transport at the destination. Taxis are expensive, as are hired cars to visit the countryside. Even the beautiful promenade at La Baule, for example, becomes uncomfortably long after the first few walks up and down. For this reason it was decided to take a small motor- bike capable, without discomfort, of carrying two people and a picnic lunch for forty or fifty miles in a morning. It may be mentioned that the French, of whom very many own a small "moto" or "velo," applauded the idea and were most intri- gued to see the smart green 125 c.c. B.S.A. Bantam snugged in the back of the Gemini. The Flight to Carcassonne To start from the beginning, it must be recorded that the flightto Carcassonne began on a dull, cloudy and bumpy morning. Willing hands had helped install the Bantam across the back seatof the Gemini. It had been necessary to take off the wheels and mudguards as units, and these carried with them the carrier,pillion seat, number plates and so forth. Because two nuts release the spring forks at the top end, these were removed together withthe front wheel. The handlebars were also released and turned along the tank. The silencer slid off easily enough, and the onlygrubby bit was the removal of the chain. Sacks, sundry straps and the seat belts padded and held thebike firmly in position, and there was still plenty of room at the back for a small suitcase and a soft zip-top bag in addition tocoats and the bike's twin panniers (which on the return trip each held three bottles of wine as well as tools and rags). The rest ofthe luggage—a large hold-all like a parachute bag and a B.O.A.C. shoulder bag—went in the aircraft's nose compartment. The method of loading the Bantam—arrived at after experi-menting all ways—was to carry it rear-end forward up the wing An idea of the popularity of the Deauville Rally can be gained from this aerial view of the visiting-aircraft park at St. Gatien air'eld. Following the aerial views of new military and commercial aircraft published after the Farnborough display, this picture provides another more difficult exercise for the spotter who may wish to identify light aircraft—mostly of pre-war design—in current use. f ••• • ' . "
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