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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1464.PDF
642 FLIGHT, 23 May 1952 FIRST MAJOR RACE of 1952 Pat Fillingham (D. H. Chipmunk) Wins the Goodyear Trophy IT was particularly appropriate that Wolverhampton Air port should again have been the venue for the Goodyear Trophy Race, for this year the Goodyear Tyre and Rubber Co., whose factory is alongside the airport, and who presented the premier award, celebrate their 25th anniversary. The contest—the fifth of the series—was again organized by the Wolverhampton Aero Club, and it was notable as being the first event carrying the new air-racing championship points. Last Saturday, May 17th, was so far the hottest day this year : at Wolverhampton, the sun shone continuously from an almost cloudless sky. But there was a cooling breeze, and flying conditions were not unpleasant, the heat haze—which had been considerable earlier—having largely cleared by the start at 3 p.m. The course was unchanged from that of 1951—Wolverhampton Airport; Pillarton Hall, Penkridge; Wheaton Aston Aerodrome; Ackleton and Wolverhampton, a total distance of 31 miles. The race was flown over three laps, without preliminary heats. First off was E. F. Wild in a cream Piper Cub. Taking off west wards, he climbed gently to the first turning point—over a field by the railway about 300 yd from the airport—and then turned smartly on to a reciprocal heading, setting course at 200ft. Twelve minutes then ticked away before C. Gregory's Taylorcraft got going, after which a steady stream of aircraft were flagged away. Ron Paine (Hawk Speed Six), the scratch man, carried a handicap of nearly 35 minutes. The take-off runs appeared long, possibly due to the hot weather. Little change of order was apparent after the first lap. The two Messengers were battling it out very close together, while Dun- kerley—his Cirrus Minors buzzing like sewing machines—had clearly reduced his handicap greatly; in fact, just as Somers made his usual violent pylon turn, Dunkerley was entering a slightly more gentle one a few feet higher. But even at this stage it was obvious that some aircraft were carrying far too much handicap. Tom Hayhow's Aiglet Trainer was one such, while both the Moth Minor and the Globe Swift appeared to be quite out of the running. After Ron Paine had gone hareing after the rest of the field, S/L. Findley's Avro 621 was observed gently orbiting the airfield at about 2,000ft; this fine old aircraft had done a creditable first lap, but its size removed any suggestion of speed. Shortly after wards, the Piper Cub was also seen to have retired; with the Avro it was kept in the circuit until the completion of the race. After lap No. 2, things began to fall into shape. Dunkerley was now ahead of Somers and Jimmy Rush had clearly drawn well away from G. C. Marler—similarly flying a Falcon—and also passed the Swift. At this stage it looked as if Farley (Autocar), Loveridge (Hawk Trainer), Gibson (Messenger), Wood (Proctor) and Dunkerley were all likely to be placed. GOODYEAR TROPHY RACE RESULTS In spite of the fine weather, the crowd at Wolverhampton Airport last Saturday was not of large proportions. The major event of the display, the Goodyear Trophy race, was won by Pat Fillingham, seen below with his wife and the Chipmunk immediately after the race. Mr. Fillingham is de Havilland's chief production test pilot. '"Flight" photographs PI. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. Pilot, Aircraft and Engine P. Fillingham (Chipmunk, G.Major I) S/L. Loveridge (Hawk Trainer 3, G.Major I) G. A. Farley (Autocar J.5.B, G.Major I) F/L. Gibson (Messenger 2A, C.Major III) W. P. Bowles (Messenger 2A, C.Major III) F. Dunkerley (Gemini 1 A, C.Minor lis) ... J. N. Somers (Gemini III, G.Major I.C.) R. R. Paine (Hawk Speed Six, G.VI. I.F.) H. Wood (Proctor 5, G.Queen II) S/L. J. Rush (Falcon VI, G.VI) J. R. Batt (Chilton D.W. 1A, Train 4T) C. Gregory (Taylorcraft D, C.Minor I) . D. C. Jemmett (Hawk Trainer 3. G.Major I.C) T. W. Hayhow (Aiglet Trainer, G.Major I.C) ... G. C. Marler (Falcon VI, G.VI) L. E. Mason (Autocrat, C.Minor II) D. R. Robertson (Moth Minor, G.Minor) G. F. K. Donaldson (G.C.1B Swift, Continental) Reg. KDN JJI JYY JOE JYZ KKB KDC DGP HWR ECC FSV HGZ KPE MOS DTD IGH FPN HUU Speed (m.p.h.) 142 126* 121* 129 133* 175* 170* 190* 146 167 122* 107 135 137 160 108* 114 139 Start order 11 6 5 9 10 19 18 20 14 17 7 2 12 13 16 3 8 15 H'cap time m. s. 23.05 18.30 16.35 19.25 21.05 31.30 31.15 34.55 25.45 30.50 18.40 12.00 23.45 24.25 30.50 14.05 19.00 28.10 C'ship pts. 22 20 18 16 14 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 2 2 Prizes: Trophy, replica and £100, P. Fillingham. Second prize (£50), S/L. Loveridge. Third prize (£25). G. A. Farley. Some ten minutes then elapsed before the winner appeared. Low on the western horizon came a single-engined aircraft, closely followed by a whole host ofothers; the handicapping was clearly better than some people had thought. But there was no doubt about the win ner—it was Pat Fillingham's Chipmunk, which had not previously attracted much notice. It swept across the line well ahead of Lover idge and Farley. F/L. Gibson and W. P. Bowles were next home, followed by the four Throttle Benders competing— Dunkerley, Somers, Paine and Rush, in that order. Worth noting was the almost incredible per formance of the Cirrus-Minor-powered Gemini; it will indeed be remarkable if, in future races, Dunkerley manages to conceal something from the handicappers. Fastest lap—9 min 42 sec—was Ron Paine's second; this corresponds to about 196 m.p.h. The prizes were presented by Mrs. W. A. Hazlett, the wife of Goodyear's managing director. The usual excellent flying display took place during the afternoon. Events included a contribution by Ben Gunn in a Balliol; Tiger Moth formation flying by F/Ls. Gibson, Fagg and Marsh of 25 R.F.S.; exposition of the Aiglet Trainer by S L. Ranald Porteus; fly-pasts by a Wyvern T.F.4; Tiger aero batics by F/L. Marsh; sailplane aerobatics by an Eon Olympia, towed to height by a Fieseler Storch (F/Ls. Kearley and Marsh from R.A.E.); Meteor 7 demonstration by F/L. Severne from C.F.S.; and jumps from a captive balloon made by members of the 18th Battn. Parachute Regt., T.A.
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