UNSURPASSED EXCELLENCE OF BRITISH PERSONNEL AND MATERIAL.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 28 September 1927, Page 3

UNSURPASSED EXCELLENCE OF BRITISH PERSONNEL AND MATERIAL.

VICTORY ANOTHER PROOF.

[British Official Wireless.] RUGBY, Sept. 26,

On learning the result Sir Samuel Hoare, Secretary of Air, sent the following message to Air... Vice-Marshal Scarlett :

“ Delighted to learn the issue of to-day’s contest with o\w Italian friends, whose skill and sportsmanship have been so abundantly shown in previous races. Please convey to Flight-Lieutenant Webster and all concerned my heartiest congratulations on the magnificent victory of the suxjer-marine and the Napier Lion engine, which is once more proof of the unsurpassed excellence pf British personnel and material.” PILOTS TOOK “DEATH

CORNERS ” STANDING, IT SEEMED, ON WING TIPS. NO ACCIDENTS. [British Official Wireless.] RUGBY, Sept. 26. The winner has set up a new record lor the Schneider Cup race. There were no accidents during the race, and Lieutenant Kinkcad and the Italian trio who abandoned attempts all came down! safely. The nature of the course w r as a factor of difficulty and danger with machines racing at such great speeds. it had to be covered seven times, twenty “ death corners,” as they have been described, had to bft negotiated.,. Enormous crowals of spectators on the beach below provided with a thrilling spectacle as the pilots took the sharp corners standing, as it seemed, on their wing tips.

Lieut, Webster’s speed averaged 281.49 miles an hour, the fastest time on record.

SCHNEIDER, THE DONOR. LIVING IN POVERTY ALL RECORDS SMASHED. (Received Tuesday, 7.30 p.m.) LIDO, Sept. 26. Flight-Lieutenant Sidney Norman Webster, aged 27, stocky, cheerful and red-haired, ■with an Air Force Cross, stepped nonchalantly from his ’plane showing no sign of the ordeal,. He quietly remarked: ‘‘l’m jolly glad to have won for

Britain. She is going to celebrate —so shall I.” The performance shatters all previous air records. An aeroplane’s ' previous best was 278£ miles hourly, and a seaplane’s 258 1-3 miles. The donor of the Cup, Jacques Schneider, once a wealthy French sportsman, who was believed dead, is at present living in poverty in the Riviera.

PREVIOUS WINNERS. The results of previous contests for the Schneider Trophy, presented in 1913, were as follow—--1913 Prance: M. Provost on a Deper-dussin-Gnome, at an average speed of 40 m.p.h. 1914 — Britain: Mr. C. H. Pixton on a Sopwith-Gnomc, 75 m.p.h. 1920 — Italy; Lieut. Bologna on a Savoia-Ansaldo, 500 h.p., SO m.p.h. 1921 — Italy: De Briganti on a Maaehi Isotta-Fraschini, 200 h.p., 118 m.p.h. 1922 — Britain: Captain Biard on a Supcrraarinc-Napicr, 450 h.p., 141 m.p.h. 1923 — United States: Lieut. Eittcnhouso, on a Curtis, 456 h.p., 1774 m.p.h. 1924 Pace declared void. 1925 United States: Lieut. J. Doolittle on a Curtis 510 h.p., 2324 m.p.h. 1926 Italy: Major Marco dc Bernard! on a Maaehi,' 520 h.p., Fiat, 246.4 m.p.h. The course off the sandy island of the Lido, to the seaward side of the Lagoon of Venice, over the Adriatic was of 350 kilometres, consisting of seven laps of a triangle with very acute turns, one of only 17 degrees. All the competing craft had to pass preliminary tests for seaworthiness and navigability, involving two take-offs and two landings in a course of 20 miles and a mooring to buoys for six hours in order to test for leakages. Yesterday it was officially stated that the British machine credited with the fastest timg in the trials must repeat the navigability tost, as it left the water prematurely after taxi-ing. *’

America to Australia

FLIGHT NEXT MONTH.

(Received Tuesday, ’5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, Sept. 2d

A message from Seattle states ! K.e Captain Smith, Lieutenant. Anderteot. and Mr. Ulm will start next nftntli for Australia in the triple-motored Fokkcr used by Captain Wilkins in his Polar expeditions.

Xieutenant Anderson is now in Honolulu. He says that he expects to take off from San Francisco if the weather (is favourable, otherwise from Seattle. It is understood that the flight will cover 9500 miles, and will bo via Honolulu, New Britain and New Guinea. ON TO CAPETOWN. [British Official Wireless.] RUGBY, Sept. 2(5. Bentley was given a great welcome at Johannesburg on his arrival from London. He leaves for Kimberley .and Capetown to-morrow on the last stage of his flight.