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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1842.PDF
FLIGHT, 25 June 1954 815 THE NATIONAL AIR RACES Events of Friday and Saturday at Coventry "FLIGHT" Photographs '""'HERE were some lengthy counten ances around Baginton early on Fri day, June 18th; and they did not shorten as the ambient gloom failed to show signs of dispersing. But the racing went off —and the flying display vfent on—to plan, and the few hundreds of spectators were some measure consoled. As for Saturday—the Big Day— broke unpromisingly, but blossomed into sheer perfection, with the glare of a hot sun screened by just sufficient clouds, and a breeze to help in tanning more than 20,000 brows. Royal Aero Club Trophy Race The line-up on Friday for the Royal Aero Club Trophy Race was a colourful one, only slightly smaller in numbers than the previously published list. The Dutch pilot Uges in the Sokol M.1D had withdrawn, while de Luigi had failed to arrive from Switzerland with his Nardi FN.305: the only foreign entry remaining was that of Captain Christie, the Norwegian S.A.S. pilot, in the Globe Swift. Fred Dunkerley, whose choice lay between his new white Sparrowjet, his Gemini and the Mew Gull entered by D. J. Adie, had both Sparrowjet and Gemini on the line, leaving his final decision until the last moment. The weather was dull and depressing as the first machine took off—F/L. D'Arcy's silver Messenger, soon followed after the appropriate intervals by the other aircraft. Only surprise was the apparent ease with which the Globe Swift, which began rolling together with Parker's Proctor after 11 minutes, 20 seconds, pulled away from it immediately after take-off. Handicap time for Ron Paine's Speed Six was 28 minutes, 10 seconds; six minutes later, the Sparrowjet (which Dunkerley had elected to fly) appeared to be having starting trouble. The scheduled take-off time arrived, and passed. After a quarter of an hour, it became sadly obvious to observers that this year's Nationals would not have the promised debut of the Sparrowjet, National prizewinners: (Top) Tim Wood receives the King's Cup. On the left he is seen at the finishing line. (Below, left to right) Maj. Lovett-Campbell (Norton-Griffiths Trophy), Miss Leaf (Air League Challenge Cup), and Nat Somers (Kemsley Challenge Trophy). most radical new idea in the post-war British racing scene. From a disappointed Dunkerley we later heard the cause; a blockage in the compressed-air lead from the starting bottles (for the race, two bottles had been adapted instead of the previously used one). Reports from the turning points, meanwhile, indicated no big surprise along the 183-mile course. Tim Wood's Messenger, No. 2 away, had passed D'Arcy; the Globe Swift's initial swift ness had not been maintained, for Parker was now ahead; while the two most promising pieces of gap-closing had been per formed by Knox (Proctor 3) and Nat Somers in his Gemini. About 70 minutes after the start of the race, the leading machines could just be seen approaching. Cream wings identified Knox's Proctor coming in low, while a second Proctor ("Sailor" Parker's) was seen descending behind the trees just short of the aerodrome. Past the winning line, almost on the deck, sped No. 70, half the aerodrome ahead of Somers's Gemini; then Bowles, and Miss Leaf's Hawk Major, almost together; after them — regu larly spaced — Dray, Bennett, "Buster" Paine, Blamire, Marler and Fillingham. A closed-up group lead by Ron Paine's Speed Six appeared next, with Lovett-Campbell, Wood, Hillwood and Mcintosh; followed by D'Arcy, Jemmett and, after an interval, the Globe Swift, fast- looking, white and low. Subse quent news located the missing machines: in addition to Parker (who had run out of fuel and made an emergency landing in a potato field), Rush and Lyle had force-landed at Tempsford and Bourn. Forward to the King's Cup went the first 15 to complete the course: as Ron Paine was In the foreground, the triumphant Messengers of Wood and D'Arcy: behind, the D.H.31 and part of the public enclosure's vast crowd.
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