THE BIG AIR RACE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 91, 15 October 1934, Page 10

THE BIG AIR RACE

LONDON OPINIONS

BRITAIN'S HOPE IN THE COMET

WONDERFUL MACHINE

(From "Tha Post's" Representative.) LONDON, September 14. By the time this mail-letter roaches New Zealand the entrants for the great International Air Race will be making their final arrangements. At the time of writing,-however, it is unlikely that any of the British entrants havo tried out their machines, or if they have they are not saying much about them. Most of the speed competitors, whoso entry fee was £50, will doubtless line up at Mildenhall. There arc twenty-seven of these. Those who entered only for tho handicap had only to pay £.10 entry fee. Doubtless a number of them were not very serious in their determination to see the matter through, and may drop out. It is only necessary to read the make of some of the engines to realise that a proportion of the entrants wero not spending much on up-to-date machines, and were entering rather for the fun of the race. So far no definite news has arrived concerning the American competitors, but doubtless they are packed up and ready for their journey to England. It has all along been assumed that the American machines will be so much faster than the best English, but it is pointed out by those in a. position to know that the American machines, although fast, are not capable of such long non-stop flights as some of the English machines. Certainly, no one will be able to forecast the result ■of the race on "form," there are so many factors to be taken into consideration. There is the factor of the power of endurance in hard-driven engines. Some of the engines to be used in the race have been tried out' on tho bench at full throttle for periods equal to twice that which the. race might occupy. Even so, there is also the personal factor — how long tho pilots can hold out without sleep. Then, again, competitors have had to make their own arrangements for refuelling at the five control posts, and this part of the contest is likely to have a material effect upon the result of the race. THE ROUTE. t A. well-known aeronautical correspondent points out that the route, the prospect of such mixed weather as the pilots may expect, the size and nature of the aerodromes, the great variety of aeroplanes, and the widely diverse experience of the pilots will make the race one of great uncertainty. Tho route includes every sort of country from the Alps in Europe to the deserts of Arabia and India, and every kind of weather, from the fogs of Europe to the sandstorms and milder mousoons of the East. The control aerodromes are adequate for ordinary aircraft, though none is so big as Mildenhall, where the race will start, and the trouble of the racing machines is likely to be more serious at tho landing than at the take-off. The aerodrome at Allahabad measures only 1000 yards by' 800 yards, and has telegraph poles on the north, a native village on tho east, and trees dotted about on the other sides. . That at Singapore is the same size, but is better situated for tho landing of aeroplanes which have very flat gliding angles. The Darwin aerodrome,, smallest of all the control centres, measured only COO yards by 440 yards until it was enlarged for this race. There may be some difficulty in getting a.fast aeroplane, lightened after its long flight, down into a small aerodrome unless the approaches are particularly good. BRITISH COMETS. As to the three new de Havilland Comet racing aeroplanes, the- first trial flights have taken place at Hatfield aerodrome. Details of tho performances achieved by this ultra-modern product of aeronautical engineering are not yet disclosed, but I am able to state that the guaranteed maximum speed of 200 miles an hour should be well within its capabilities, and that in one respect— non-stop range attained in a design restricted by ordinary commercial airworthiness regulations —it is likely to set a standard never previously reached. While complying with every requirement in safety factors and rapidity of take-off included in tho international regulations that govern the design of an ordinary airline vehicle, Ilie Comet promises to be capable of flying in still air on ono fuel load a distance of no less than 2700 miles. Three Comets have been entered for the speed and handicap races. Each will be finished in a distinctive colour. The machine to bo flown by Mr. C. W. A. Scott and Mr. T. Campbell Black will be all scarlet; that entered by Mr. Bernard Rubin, who has done much tnotor-ear racing, will bo green, which is the British international car racing colour'; that entered and flown by Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Mollison will be black with its registration letters picked out in gold. . RARE CRAFTSMANSHIP. p I wag permitted to inspect the Comet, w in the workshop where it has been built in great secrecy, a few days before the P first flight-. Its construction has ab- * eorbed the thoughts of the de Havilland " design staff since tho beginning of this c year. Thousands of experiments have 6 been conducted to determine the best a possible shaping and structure for every p component. Today the three machines " represent expenditure by the company of many thousands of. pounds in excess 5 of the £5000 which they will receive b from each purchaser. The. result is an 6 aeroplane that 5s daring but eminently H sano in design and construction, built to a standard of workmanship that has ° never been surpassed. It is a marvel of b streamlining, without a single excresc- n enco of any kind. From nose- to tail tl the entire structure is polished as s; smooth as glass, to reduce skin friction, i 1 Tho wirig covering, which is a stressed wooden skin more than half an inch p thick, had a finish on it even in the n rough "unfinished" state that I-havo N not seen equalled. Polished fillets between tho main components preserve j,, the beautiful and harmonious structural ;Jincs. From wing-tip to wing-tip the machine measures 44 feet. Its length s< is 29 feet. Had not commercial air- tl worthiness regulations restricted tho ci designers the aeroplane would havo 01 been even smaller, with consequent is gain in speed. It derives power from two special racing Gipsy-Six engines, o: each developing 230 h.p., which drive E airscrews of cpntrollablo pitch. The c; pitch is.set low for take-off; when tho tl machine is airborne tho airscrew blades E are adjusted, by hydraulic power pro- la vided by the engine oil system, to a F much coarser angle, where they give aj maximum thrust for the available pi power in level flight.. In other words, tc the controllablo pitch airscrew acts H similarly to the gearbox of a motor-car, hi

The two pilots sit one behind the other in the cockpit, which is completely enclosed by a streamlined cover. Full dual control is fitted, and tho navigational equipment includes apparatus for night and "blind" flying.

Three tanks in the fuselage will hold up to 260 gallons of fuel, which is expected to be sufficient for a non-stop flight over the longest single: stage— 2568 miles—frpgj. Jjondoft toßagfiadj