R.A.F. Air Speed Trial Abandoned After Reaching 660 m.p.h. In Attempt On Record

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14570, 14 January 1948, Page 3

R.A.F. Air Speed Trial Abandoned After Reaching 660 m.p.h. In Attempt On Record

London, Jan. 13

After reaching’ G6O miles per hour this afternoon, a British test pilot, Squadron-Leader Waterton, had to abandon his attempt on the world's air speed record. An air correspondent says that Waterton did a trial at over 500 m.p.h. to test the weather, but the weather got worse, and he found the gusts of wind too uncomfortable when he was flying at ever 600 so abandoned the attempt until next summer.

The correspondent says he was watched by about 60 correspondents, including Russians and East Europeans. They applauded his courage, particularly after Mr Greenwood, one of the world’s most experienced high-speed pilots, .described the conditions as the worst any pilot had flown in at high speed. The correspondent adds that the 680 m.p.h. which Waterton did in his G-loster Meteor this afternoon was probably the fastest sneed yet achieved by a pilot in this country. ’