SMITH’S PLANE

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 September 1934, Page 3

SMITH’S PLANE

BIG ISSUE INVOLVED. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith has had many worries, major and minor, over his machine for the Melbourne Centenary Air Race, and recent cabled messages indicate that they are continuing, for he has so far been unable to obtain the American certificate of airworthiness essential lor the acceptance of his machine at the starting line. His ability to get through is unlimited, and it is very probable that the certificate will ar-rive-all right but in the meantime his worry must be wearing, for if the authority is not furnished in time the thousands of pounds he has spent on his Lockheed Altair will have gone without his having a run for his money. There is, moreover, a very big principle behind the granting of a certificate, and the settling of this principle may be as important an espect of the race as the winning of the £lO,OOO, and the gold cup, or the advancement of aeroplane' design. The lace may result in considerable modification of the international agreement as to the technical requirements of aeroplane construction.

The Lockheed Altair is not an aeroplane of distinct type, but is a modified Lockheed Orion. The Orion is a low-wing monoplane with accommodation for six passengers. The Allah- is an Orion arranged as a twoseater mail-carrying and sporting aeroplane. Smithy’s machine carries the standard Orion 550 h.p. engine, super-charged. Miss Ruth Nicholls, an American airwoman, has entered a similar machine, and several Orions ami Vegas (high wing) have also been entered, including 11. C. Miller’s (Australia) Vega, and Michel Detroyot’s (France) Orion, and, outstanding among tire American entries, Wiley Post’s Vega. “Winnie Mae.” A statement published in Australia early this month was to the effect that up till that date the authorities had not granted certificates (for the purpose of the race) for any 'Lockheed machines. If (hat is correct the complication is truly international.

It is not., of course, that these machines are not airworthy. To suggest that the “Winnie Mae,” which Wiley Post piloted round the world solo, is not airworthy is ridiculous. .The complication arises from the fact that following an International Convention of Air Navigation (1.C.A.N.) a few-years ago technical conditions we>3 drawn up, and to these requirements machines must conform before they can secure an i.C.A.N. certificate. America, originally actively interested in the convention’, . later withdrew; Spain is also not a party to tlie international agreement. America evolved a set of conditions of her own, under the Department of Aeronautics, and in accoi dance with these conditions has developed her aviation industry to, in certain branches, the first place in the world, hut still her machines are outside the I.C.A.N. Smith and Ulm flew round the \world in the Southern Cross, but strictly speaking that marvellous old machine could not at its freshest be regarded as airworthy under the I.C.A.N. agreement, though very plainly it appeared to be able to fly

quite well, and was entitled to a courtesy certificate. Lincoln Ellsworth proposes to fly across Antarctica in a Northrop machine, nearly 3000 miles, with certain death should he tail to make the distance. That machine, too, may not meet international requirements in technicalities, but down south no one is going to make a fuss about it, and Ellsworth ami Balchen, who are most concerned, appear, satisfied.

GENERAL COiNDITIONS. Sir Macpherson Robertson made the general conditions of the race himself: that the race was to be open to aircraft of all nations, that there were to be as few restrictions as possible, and that safety was to be of paramount importance. Then came the drawing up of detailed conditions to conform with the three main conditions. The experts had the choice of three standards: (1) That of the British Air Ministry, which is more stringent than that of the International Convention; (2) that of the International 1 Convention; and (3) that of America, which conforms substantially to 1.C.A.N., though America is not a signatory to the convention. They chose the middle course, the 1.C.A.N., and a storm broke, for American entrants believed from the earlier announcements,- that their machines would be debarred. LateT annouifaements cleared the air by stating that machines which were certificated in them countries of origin as conforming substantially with I.C.A.N. requirements would be acceptable. This decision permits tne acceptance of all but unusual types of American machines, but why Kingsford Smith did not obtain the necessaiy certificate for his Altair —not a. standard, but a modification of lhe abundantlyproved standard Orion —before shipping it, via New Zealand, to Australia, has not been explained. There is still another international complication over lack of I.C.A.N. certificates; certain countries, Turkey in particular, have raised quite definite objections to machines not so approved (no matter how abundantly proved in the air), flying over their territory. High-speed machines flying high would be difficult to stop, but national dignity must not be ruffled, and a pilot who disregarded requests to stay outside but yet! was forced to land inside would probably be impolitely received. !

MORE THAN PRIZES INVOLVED. Assuming that Kingsford Smith, Miller, Detroyot, and the American entrants obtain in time certificates lor their Lockheeds or' Northrops or other fast machines, Wiley Post, flying a specialised machine, allegedly equipped for stratosphere flying, may still,find the certificate out of reach. That is the opinion of Mr Norman Lyons, a writer on aviation subjects in English, American, and. Australian journals, and he goes oh to-say : — ‘‘More , than: likely Wiley Post, the renowned American pilot, will, if he cannot .obtain a certificate of airworthiness for his machine, undoubtedly miss Baghdad and Allahabad,' making Singapore his first stop, thereby cutting down his. time by a considerable number of hours. “Under these conditions he will not be a competitor, but will demon-

strate i.o the world that American machines are airworthy, although not recognised by the International Contention of Air Navigation. If this is done, it will revive the very vexed question, which machines are more suitable for fast commercial transport, American or English?” In this, Mr Lyons hints at a very important aspect of the race; that upon its result may depend the future enforcement of the requirements of the I.C.A.N. The of those requirements which ("American machines do not - fulfil would mean opening a far wider market for American ma,chines—and -in -that much more than £lO,OOO and a gold cup is. involved.