Navy Phantom Sets Atlantic Record

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 18

Navy Phantom Sets Atlantic Record

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

LONDON, May 12. The Royal Navy won in record time, a prince tore his pants, and an American entrant in the great transatlantic air race reached London in a “gay 90s” swimsuit and skis.

The week-long rush between the top of the General Post Office tower in London and the top of the Empire State Building in New York ended yesterday. There was £60,000 in prizes for the winners in 21 categories, and a rich harvest of tall tales and publicity for the not-so-fast. The Royal Navy waited until the last day for its best of three record-breaking efforts—s hours 11 minutes 22 seconds, by Lieutenant-Com-mander Peter Goddard, aged 32. The 4 hours 46 minutes and 57 seconds his Phantom supersonic jet was in the air was a record for a New York-to-London crossing, an average of 738 miles an hour. A group of bowler-hatted British businessmen who flew to New York rushed back home with a prize and said they had also negotiated millions of dollars worth of export orders. “We’ve achieved more for British exports in five days than the Government has in five years,” said one of them. Royal Loser Among the losers was Prince Michael of Kent, aged 26, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth. The Prince was competing on a commercial airliner which was delayed for more than an hour at Kennedy Airport, New York. Prince Michael tore the seat of his white flannels on the door of the helicopter in which he completed his trip. Mr Ben Garcia, the American transport contractor who switched to airliners after his light plane had crashed early in the race, arrived yesterday on his sixth unsuccessful try for a prize, dressed in a vintage swimming costume and skis screwed on to roller skates on his feet. Like the Royal Navy winner, a Royal Air Force entrant, Squadron Leader Thomas Lecky-Thompson, has won £6OOO for his time of 6 hours 11 minutes 57.15 seconds, recorded on the reverse

leg in a vertical take-off Harrier jet. Miss Nancy Kelly, of New York, won the £lOOO prize in the women’s light plane section, having flown from New York to London in 22 hours 31 minutes and 57 seconds; and Miss Sheila Scott, of Britain, also won £lOOO in the same section for her time of 26 hours 34 minutes and one second from London to New York.

In the men’s light aircraft section, Mr S. Wilkinson, of Florida, took the £lOOO prize for his time of 20 hours 23 minutes and 31 seconds from London to New York. Miss S. M. Scribner, of New York, was first in the section for unsponsored personal entrants on the New York-to-London leg, with a time of six hours 55 minutes 48.43 seconds, and will receive £2500.

Mr W. Selph, of Sandy Hook, Connecticut, won the £4OOO prize in the sub-sonic aircraft section from London to New York, with seven hours six minutes 24.47 seconds.

A New Zealander, Mr Neil Campbell Stevens, who now

lives in Vancouver, reached the General Post Office tower in London last night 108 hours 14 minutes and 38.67 seconds after leaving the Empire State Building, New York, last Wednesday. Mr Stevens had planned to fly to London in his 1934 Tiger Moth from Monckton, New Brunswick, but a series of mishaps forced him to take a scheduled 8.0.A.C. flight from Montreal last night to Scotland. However, he did reach London in a Tiger Moth, borrowed from a member of the Royal Aero Club. “I’m going to stay in London for about three weeks, and then I'm going back to Monckton to repair the plane and have another go at the flight,” Mr Stevens said today.

Renovating old aircraft is now the full-time occupation of this former Royal New Zealand Air Force and TransAustralia Airline pilot. He has so far bought three old Tiger Moths tfrom New Zealand and Australia for resale in America, where they fetch between SUSSOOO and SUS6OOO.