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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 1869.PDF
52 FLIGHT, 21 August 1959 The Bleriot Race WINGS, WHEELS, WATER AND FLEET FEET IN A MEMORABLE CONTEST FROM the start on the morning of Monday, July 13, whenCapt. R. M. B. Walker on a motor cycle, Stirling Moss ina Renault Dauphine and Lt-Cdr. W. Boaks on roller skates left Marble Arch and headed south, to the final evening elevendays later when a quartet of motor-cycle decoys did .their best to confuse the police and assist Colette Duval's husband, the DailyMail Bleriot anniversary race was an undoubted success. The total number of competitors was 135, including the efficient andwell-drilled Service entries, a number of enthusiastic amateurs flying their own light aircraft, and a sprinkling of one-off offbeats. The shortest time for the journey from Marble Arch to theArc de Triomphe (or vice versa) was 40 min 44 sec in the Paris - London direction by S/L. Charles Maughan, commanding officerof No. 65 Sqn., Duxford, who received the £5,000 first prize on behalf of the R.A.F. Second fastest at 41 min 41 sec from Londonwas Eric Rylands, who was awarded the second prize of £2,500, and the £1,500 third prize went to G/C. Norman Ryder, stationcommander at Duxford (42 min 6 sec from Paris). Each used themotor-cycle/helicopter/HunterTwo-Seater/helicopter/motor-cycle sequence, with change-overs at the Thames (at Chelsea), Biggin Hill, Villacoublay and Issy. A special prize of £1,000 awarded on the basis of journey time, The Bleriot replica flown from Calais to Ferryfield by Jean Salis during his July 75 attempt (12 hr 17 min 22 sec) originality, ingenuity and initiative went to the BEAline syndicate,a group of 11 men and two women from British European Airways who made the exceptionally good average time of 62 min 15 secfor a journey by special double-decker bus from Marble Arch to Paddington station, special diesel train to Ruislip Gardens,cars to Northolt, Comet 4B to Le Bourget and taxis to the Arc de Triomphe. Ten consolation prizes of £100 were awarded to "competitorswho have emerged with high merit." These were Brian Neely, "remarkable ingenuity and practical example in demonstratinga high-level heliport on Hungerford Bridge"; W. E. Butlin, "initia- tive and a journey considerably speeded by a floating heliport onthe Thames"; Capt. R. M. B. Walker, "personal dash, efficient organization and example with a river-bank helicopter platform";Bill Aston, "initiative and practical demonstration of amphibian aircraft operation between the two cities"; Pierre Auerbach,"fastest user of personal transport with the light executive jet, a Morane Saulnier Paris"; Owen Dixson, "who drove his two-seat invalid carriage—a courageous and remarkably fast journey by a disabled competitor"; Jonathan Hutchinson, "ingeniousexample of personal transport—a folding motor scooter carried in a light plane"; Fergus Ferguson, "a determined and fast single- Eric Rylands gets aboard smartly at Biggin Hill: his Hunter Two-Seater, provided by Hawker Siddeley, was powered by a 200-Series Avon. Mr. Rylands is chair- man of Skyways Ltd. Bill Aston, chief pro- duction test pilot of Vickers - Armstrongs (Aircraft), used this Piaggio P.I36 from the Thames at Bark- ing to the Seine
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