TIME OF FINISH

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27073, 23 June 1953, Page 8

TIME OF FINISH

VALIANT MAY ARRIVE WITHIN 24 HOURS

TTie first aircraft in the LondonChristchurch air race is expected to land at Harewood in the early hours of Saturday, October 10. The starting time at London airport will be 4.30 p.m. (GMT) on October 8, which is 4.30 a.m. (New Zealand time) on October 9. As the Vickers Valiant, entered by the Royal Air Force in the speed section, is expected to take 26 hours or less for the course of more than 12.000 miles, it should be over Christchurch some time between 4.30 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. provided that it does not meet head winds or encounter any difficulty. There are .five Canberras in the speed section of the race and English aviation experts have estimated that the elapsed time for the best flight by one of these jet bombers is likely to be about 30 hours. This would mean that the Canberras would arrive at Christchurch any time after 10.30 a.m.

No official figures art available for either the Valiant or the Canberra so the arrival times cannot be estimated exactly. There will be little difference in the starting times as aircraft will be dispatched at intervals of two minutes. Time taken on the ground for refuelling will not increase the elapsed time for the whole flight by very much, as the Canberra which flew from England to Darwin in 22 hours, making three

stops, spent only 13 minutes on tb aerodrome each time. the In a survey of race prospects * English aviation journal, the Ay plane,” says that the Valiant accidents and errors excepted, the speed section. Its maximum ral *” s ’ with extra tankage and allowance. ’ may make it possible for the to be completed with only two fuelling stops. . Since the “Aeroplane” article written, however, it has been nounced that the Valiant will . at Shaibah, in the Persian Gun. * suggests that there will jje more « two stops as the distance to Christchurch is about 9000 Refuelling at each stop is nov pected to take more than 15 w minutes.