THE HANDICAP SECTION

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 94, 18 October 1934, Page 13

THE HANDICAP SECTION

COMPLEX FORMULA

LAST IN MAY BE WINNER

NEW ZEALAND ENTRANTS

Su far most of the publicity given to tho Centenary Air Race has been in regard to tho speed section, with tho handicap raco getting only occasional mention, but the handicap rac.e.will be a great event in world aviation, and without it interest in the speed section would fail after the first three or four machines havo reached Melbourne; the handicap race will maintain interest to the last machine. New Zealand, with threo entries, has a very lively interest in tho handicap race.

The New Zealand entries are the Auckland team's Do Havilland Dragon, to be piloted by .Squadron-Leader J. D. Hewett and Flying-Officer C. B. Kay, with Mr. F. Stewart as wireless operator; tho Manawatu Aero Club's Miles Hawk, to be town by Squadron-Leader McGregor and Mr. H. C. Walker; and tho Fairey Fox entered by Mr. J. K. C. Baines. Mr. Baines was for a time resident in Wellington, and his pilot, Flying-Officer H. D. Gilman, is an Aueklander on a short term commission with the Boyal Air Force.

Tim Short Scion, which was entered by Mr. E. C. Wallace) (England) and was to havo boon flown by Mr. S. S. Kirstcn, an ex-K.A.F. pliot, of AuckInnd, is not available for tho raco. To Mr. Kirsten, who sailed from Auckland for London somo weeks :igo ; . Ihis must be a great disappointment. The

truly New Zealand entry, at tho light mono piano built in the Waikato by Messrs. Waugh and Eversou, Waikato, could not be completed. They were game, but the race conditions were too stilt for amateur builder-designers. These New Zealand-entered machines are of widely different typos, but all are British machines. They do not possess great speed, but in the handicap section speed is not essential to a wiu; reliability, high aerodynamic efficiency, and good piloting will be the winning factors. MACHINES AND PILOTS. Tho Auckland team's entry is tho well-proved do Havillund SI, a biplane,! normally seating six passengers and powered with two Gipsy Major, 130 h.p. engines. Its performance, in relation to horse-power, is remarkable. The Mollisons' "Seafarer," in which they flew tho Atlantic, was a Dragon. Since then the sanio machine, renamed "Trail of tho Caribou," has been flown 3700 miles non-stop in 31 hours by two Canadian pilots. The long hops of the air race will be no great hurdles to tho Dragon, nor will the proposed Xasman crossing immediately after tho race. The cruising speed is expected to be about 140 miles per hour., It is understood that C. T. P. Ulm has a Dragon in mind for his All-Bed (England, Canada, Suva, New Zealand, andAustralia) flight in November. The Manawatu Aero Club's Miles Hawk is a light two-seater training or touring low-wing monoplane, a private aeroplane rather than a service machine. Normally a 90 h.p. Cirrus engine is installed. The Hawk is • said to be a particularly good performer in bad weather conditions, and in this year's King's Cup handicap race, flown in appalling weather, gained second place (with 120 h.p. engine) against a very large field with a speed of 148 miles per hour. The Fairey Fox is a service, biplane and a high-performance machine over a comparatively limited range, but the Fox entered by J. K. C. Baines does not carry the standard engine (BollsEoyce Kestrel), but has a Felix Curtiss engine. Additional fuel and oil tanks havo been installed to give distanco performances. Flying-Officer Kay flow from England to Australia with Piper in 1930. Kirstan and Gilman both havo the fine all-round training of B.A.F. pilots, and Squadron-Loader Hewett, a war pilot, has flown consistently since 1918, though he has not any particularly long distance work. Squadron-Leader McGregor built for himself a remarkable war record, and has stuck to flying ever since because he cannot stay away. Mr. H. C. Walker, club captain of the Manawatu Aero Club, is with him in enthusiasm, but, of course, has not his long experience. Mr. Baines has not previously undertaken long-distance flying, but will act as relief pilot to Flying-Offlcor Gilman. SPEED AND HANDICAP ROUTES THE SAME. Tho publication of air raco maps has given the impression that there are two routes, one for tho speed and one for tho handicap race. That is not so; the courses are identical, with tho same five compulsory control point calls, Bagdad, Calcutta, Singapore, Darwin, and Charleville. Thoro are in addition, at. intervals of about 500 miles, 20 authorised, but not compulsory, checking points, for the convenience and safety of pilots who ,aro unable to make tho course in the five great hops. These points may be used by any pilots, speed or handicap; tho fivo control points must be used by all pilots. Tho checking points are mostly oS tho line of shortest flight between control points, and therefore a pilot who calls at such points must travel further. Obviously pilots will reduce tho number of calls to the minimum possible to them. ■ FLYING AND HANDICAP TIME. The following definitions aro important: — "Handicap time" means flying time less tho "handicap allowance time." "Flying time" means tho time spent between the commencement point in England and the finishing line in Melbourne, less time spont at tho authorised checking and/or control points. Machinos which do not complete the courso in sixteen days w-11 be disqualified. The handicaps are to be arrived at by the application of a mathematical formula, the chief factors of- which are tho payload; the all-up weight of tho machine (fuel, oil, crew, , and freight); tho horse-power of engine, or engines; and tho area of tho plane surface. Tho application of the formula may be complicated by the fact that the payload (personnel, personal luggage and excess baggage, spare- parts, printed matter, but not petrol or oil) may bo altered during the progress of the race, as when a passenger is disembarked or spare parts •are- used. Consequently the handicap, though approximately known, cannot be finally announced until the machines aro checked after tho race is over. LAST IN MAY WIN. The ni'st-past-thc-post wins . the speed race, but it is quite possible that the last machine in (within the sixteen days) may be the winner in the handicap section. It will be noted that flying time means the time on the routo "less time spent at authorised checking and/or control points," so that pilots are permitted to sleep a night ; or to carry out fairly lengthy overhauls (within the limits of sealed engines) or to take it easy over refuelling without spoiling their chances of the handicap prize. Because of the impossibility of the controlling officials, let alone the pilots themselves, knowing at once how much time has been so spent, or how the application of tho formula will affect handicaps, as a result of variation in tho "payload" factor, no pilot can count himself out of the race, unless, of course, ho runs into obviously crippling trouble. The quite acceptable consolation prize of £2000 will consequently be a real inducement to tho speed merchant, hopelessly out of the big money, to keep going on for Melbourne.

Thus this handicap race, generally accounted as of only secondary interest, is a very valuable complement to tho speed section, but it does appear that light machines with comparatively short rango will find tho competition of long-range aeroplanes entered for both speed and handicap j,blo to fly on, or nearly on, the shortest course too great; that is, it seoms likely that henvy machines will win both handicap and speed events. Ouo advantage handicap contestants will possess: that the flying timo definition allows them, within limits, to wait for favourable winds, but tho speed pilot must fly through it all.