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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1369.PDF
FLIGHT, 16 October 1953 523 ENGLAND TO NEW ZEALAND . impressions that the extra fuel tanks were very neatly constructed comprising fabricated light-alloy boxes containing Marston bag tanks of 1,300 ga loas. They are refuelled via pipes leading through oval paneis fitted in place of windows on each side Mattresses lay on top of the rear tanks, and the navieator made use of a further portion of the forward tank tops whi'e seated behind a folding table in the gangway between them. Cigarettes and Vichy water were conspicuous among the ship's stores, and a fair-sized bundle of envelopes was carried for philatelists. The R.N.Z.A.F. Hastings looked (as, in fact, it was) straight from the makers' hangars—though, of course, prior to Handley Page attention it had flown from New Zealand for the race The interior was full of many types of gear and equipment, but the pairs of rearward-facing seats looked comfortable enough The Start.—Shortly after three o'clock the Duke of Gloucester, who was to start the race, arrived at the line of aircraft accom panied by senior M.T.C.A. and Royal Aero Club officials. He was introduced to the crew members of each machine in turn and inspected each aircraft at the captain's invitation, beginning with the B.E.A. Viscount, and its immaculate white-rayon- gaberdine-overalled crew. The likewise efficient-looking crew of the DC-6A (who had just before been talking with Dr. Plesman, K.L.M.'s president) were next, followed by those of the R.N.Z.A.F. Hastings, the Canberra P.R.7, the two P.R.3s, and the two Australian-built Australian-manned Canberras. A last- minute alteration in the crew of the R.A.F.'s No. 2 Canberra was the substitution of F/L. Furze for S/L. Press, who, unluckily, was suffering from a cold. At 3.30, K.L.M.'s 64 paying emigrants boarded their DC-6A, and half an hour later the Viscount began to taxi out to the holding area near the end of No. 5 runway, followed by its two competitors. At 4.30 precisely the race was en: K.L.M.'s Dr. Ir. M. H. Damme (racing No. 21) was flagged away from the starting line by the Duke of Gloucester and accelerated along the runway, becoming airborne opposite the Royal Aero Cub en closure, just past the runway intersection. Five minutes later, the Hastings followed, taking a slightly longer run. Last contest ant in this section was B.E.A.'s Endeavour which, with naviga tion lights on, took the longest length of runway before rising slowly, turning to port, and setting an easterly course. In the 55 m'nutes pause before take-off time for the first Canberra, all five machines were positioned near the starting line and topped-up with fuel. Dusk was falling as the attendant bowsers completed their chores, mcving from aircraft to air craft and then disappearing behind the old Fairey hangar. At 5.35, the first Canberra began to roll, a green-tipped dark shape which slowly gathered speed and then rapidly approached— Hodges' light-grey P.R.7, strongly favoured to win and, like the Viscount, using most of the runway before rising from it. At five-minute intervals the Canberras took off; Furze lifting a nose- high No. 2 in the shortest take-off of all, Burton in No. 3 wasting no time in an early low turn on to course (as London Airport's normal activity continued with a Swissair DC-4 taking off from runway No. 1). The Australian machines followed, nav. lights flashing; Cuming banked No. 4 round low, and finally Raw in No. 5 took off westwards into the dull red sky and, turning, disappeared into the grey darkness of an autumn night. With each aircraft had gone the wishes of all on the ground at L.A.P. for a safe jcurney on the 12,000-mile flight. It was later that night that news of progress began to come in. Information contained in reports subsequently received at race Headquarters and Flight's offices is given below (all times are G.M.T.). SPEED SECTION R.A.F. Canberra P.R.7. Racing No. 1. Pilot W/C. Hodges.—Take-off London 1735 hr. Shaibah 2248; 30 min turn-round; take-off 2318 (filler-cap fault). Landed Negombo, Ceylon, 0400; 17 min turn-round; take-off 0417. Overflew Cocos, overhead at 0726. Landed Perth 1102. Unable to take-off due to generator trouble and to damaged filler-cat). Landed Christchurch 35 hr 25 min after leaving London. Placed fourth. R.A.F. Canberra P.R.3. Racing No. 2. Pilot F/L. Furze. Take-off London 1740 hr. Landed Shaibah 2305; 72 min turn-round; take-off 0017 (delay due to turbo-starter change). Landed Negombo 0509; 26 min turn-round; take-off 0535 (main wheel changed). Landed Cocos 0853; 11 min turn-round; take-off 0904. Landed Perth 1214; 11 mm turn-round; take-off 1225. Landed Christchurch 1815. Elapsed time 24 hr 35 min; overall averaee speed 500 m.p.h. Airborne time 22 hr 35 min (speed 545 m.p.h.). Placed third. R.A.F. Canberra P.R 3. Racing No. 3. Pilot F/L. Burton.—Take-off London 1745 hr. Landed Shaibah 2257; 30 min turn-round; take-off 2327 (after brake repairs). Landed Ratmalana (Ceylon) 0434, 14 min turn-round; take-off 0448. Landed Cocos 0804; 22 mm turn-round; take-off 0826 (delay due to fuel hose bursting and drenching aircraft, which then had to be dried out). Landed Perth 1136; 18 mm turn- round; take-off 1154. Landed Christchurch 1737. Elapsed time 23 hr 51 min Overall average sneed 515 m.p.h. Airborne ume 22 hr 27 min. (SReAdA5F6 ^MSSffiU No. 4. Chief Pilot W/C. Cumins- Take-off London 1750 hr. Landed Bahrein 2350; 12 ™^™™*i take-off 0002; landed Ratmalana 0419; 13 mm turn-round, 0432 take- The Australian crew whose Canberra led over most of the race, but which was delayed at Woomera. Left to right: SIL. Peter Row, F/0. Francis Davis, and F/L William Kerr. off; landed Cocos 0744 (in the lead); burst tyre on landing; flew on to Christchurch via Melbourne on October 12th, arriving 80 hr 9 min after leaving London. Placed fifth. R.A.A.F. Canberra B.20. Racing No. 5. Chief Pilot S/L. Raw.— Take-off London 1755 hr; landed Bahrein 2344; 15 min turn-round; take-off 2359; landed Ratmalana 0418; 15 min turn-round; take-off 0433; landed Cocos 0752; 10 min turn-round; take-off 0882 (fastest turn-round of the race); landed Woomera 1258; 83 min turn-round; take-off 1421 (delay due to oxygen trouble, also nosewheels collapsed and pitot head had to be replaced); landed Christchurch 1827; elapsed time 24 hr 32 min; overall average speed 501 m.p.h.; airborne time 22 hr 29 min (speed 546 m.p.h.). Placed second. TRANSPORT HANDICAP SECTION K.L.M. DC-6A. Racing No. 21. Chief Pilot Capt. Kooper.—Take off London 1630 hr. Landed Rome 1934; 22 min turn-round; take-off 1956; landed Baghdad 0225; 15 min turn-round; take-off 0240; landed Karachi 0802; 25 min turn-round; take-off 0827; landed Rangoon 1540; 36 min turn-round; take-off 1616; landed Jakarta 2253; 25 min turn-round; take-off 2318; landed Darwin 0601; 25 min turn-round; rake-off 0526; landed Brisbane 1250; 37 min turn-round; take-off 1327; landed Christchurch 1827. Elapsed time 49 hr 57 min; overall speed 259 m.p.h. Airborne time 46 hr 52 min, speed 276 m.p.h. Placed first. R.N.Z.A.F. Hastings. Racing No. 22. Chief Pilot W/C. Watson.— Take-off London 1635 hr; landed Athens 2224; 21 min turn-round; take-off 2245; landed Shaibah 0406; 30 min turn-round; take-off 0436; landed Masirah 0830; 25 min turn-round; take-off 0855; landed Negombo (No. 2 engine failure forced aircraft to retire from the race). B.E.A. Viscount. Racing No. 23. Chief Pilot Capt. Baillie.—Take off London 1640 hr; landed Bahrein 0252; 14 min turn-round; take-off 0306; landed Negombo 1107; 19 min turn-round; take-off 1126: landed Cocos 1750; 22 min turn-round; take-off 1812; landed Melbourne 0428; 15 min turn-round; take-off 0443; landed Christchurch 0921. Elapsed time 40 hr 41 min. Overall speed 301 m.p.h. Airborne time 39 hr 31 min. Speed 311 m.p.h. Placed second. CONTRIBUTIONS TO SUCCESS "FOLLOWING the dictum that the whole is equal to the sum -*- of the parts, many firms in the aircraft and ancillary industries, quite apart from those directly engaged in the manufacture of the successful engines and power-plants, deserve congratulations on the outcome of the race. Pending receipt of further information, several such contributors may be referred to here. Smiths Aircraft Instruments, Ltd., for example, were responsible for a great deal of the instrumentation and other equiDment used in most of the competing aircraft. The Viscount had an S.E.P.I autopilot and 40 other Smith items, including the Kelvin Hughes instruments mentioned below (the firm is a Smiths' associate); the R.A.F. Canberras used S.E.P.I autopilots and Waymouth fuel con tents gauges; and for the R.A.A.F. Canberras Smiths and /or their associate companies supplied all the instrumentation. K.L.G. igniter plugs and thermocouples were installed in the Avons of the R.A.F. Canberras, and K.L.G. thermocouples in the Darts of the Viscount. The Sperry Gyroscope Co., Ltd., were able to claim that all the competitors used Sperry instruments, the comprehensive equipment of the DC-6A including a Sperry autopilot; and to the Viscount the firm of Kelv:n and Hughes contributed a GM2B and P. 11 compasses, periscopic sextant, rate-of-climb indicators, altimeter, synchroscope and engine tachometers and generators. Lucas a«d Rotax equipment was used bv the majority of the entrants, while Normalair, Ltd., could claim that the "Canberras were Normalaired all the way." Dunlop tyre, wheel and brake eouipment figured in all the British and Commonwealth entries, two Canberra nosewheels being the only exceptions; and the Dun'op Maxaret braking system was used on the Viscount and on W/C. Hodges' Canberra. Efficiency of ground equipment was an extremely important factor, and in this connection it is wothy of ment;on that Thompson Bros. (Bilston), Ltd., supplied 22 of their new 2,500-gallon pressure refuel lers for use at airfields along the course; the M.o.S. order was received last December, when the prototype was undergoing only initial tests, but the 22—a special advance consignment from a large contract—were delivered by the end of May for shipment abroad by the R.A.F. A similar rush order was fulfilled by two factories of the David Brown Group, who had been working on a contract for 200 cast-steel aircraft- jack "components for the English Electric Co., Ltd. Co-operation between the Group's foundry and tractor companies resulted in accelerated delivery of 12 sets. The majority of the competing crews carried Ever Ready rubber torches and Ever Ready batteries were used by Pve Telecommunica tions for operating their walkie-talkie and other airfield equipment.
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