BIG AIR RACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22538, 1 October 1936, Page 11

BIG AIR RACE

PILOTS' PROGRESS HALSE IN THE LEAD ON WAT TO SALISBURY 'TLOUSTON'S ILL-LUCK MAY NOT CONTINUE By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received September 30, 11.5 p.m.) y - LONDON. Sept. SO Four machines have dropped out of the air race from Portsmouth to Johannesburg. Progress reports concerning the pilots of the remaining five competing aeroplanes are as follows: — Captain S. S.'' Halse (scratch), arrived at Kisumu, about 140 miles north-west of Nairobi, Kenya, at 7.24 a.m. to-day, British standard time, and left again for Salisbury, Rhodesia, at 8 a.m.* Messrs. C., W. A. Scott and Giles Guthrie (handicap 13h 'l4m), also Flying-Officer D. Llewellyn (handicap 13h 27mV, reached Khartoum, about 1100 miles north of Kisumu, at 5.45 a.m. and left together at 6 a.m. Flving-Officer A. E. Clouston, of New Zealand (handicap 6h 25m)., landed at Khartoum at 2.45 p.m. local time. He complained of engine trouble. It appeared that he had run a bearing and it is.doubtful whether he will be able to continue. In that case Halse will be able to get a valuable lead rendering possible his arrival at Johannesburg at noon.

There has been no sign of Mr. Ken Waller and Flight-Lieutenant Findlay at Khartoum. It is conjectured that thuy may have decided not to call there.

The prizes for the air race to Johannesburg total £IO.OOO. The bigge.st, £4OOO, will go to the competitor who completes the course in the shortest time. Four prizes will be awarded on a formula handicap which was weighted in favour oi: machines carrying large useful loads. The first of these prizes is £3OOO, the second £ISOO, the third £IOOO and the fourth £SOO. /

V LEADER'S SPEED REMARKABLE PERFORMANCE LATER NEWS OF WALLER (Received October 1, 12.25 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 30 In the air race Captain Halse, who is ithe instructor to the Johannesburg Aero Club, took 6 hours from Cairo to Khartoum, compared with Scott and Guthrie's 6 hours 7 minutes and Llewellyn's 7 hours. He covered the 4367 miles to Kisumu in 24 hours 23 minutes. It transpires that Waller and Findlay landed at Kerrna, 325 miles from Khartoum, as their petrol was exhausted. After refuelling they continued the f flight to Khartoum.

SK HOURS AHEAD HALSE OUTSTRIPS RIVALS i■ V 1 SPARE PART FOR CLOUSTON (Received October 1, 1.35 a.m.) LONDON, Sept. 30 Captain Halse now is six hours ahead of Scott and Guthrie. Llewellyn arrived at Juba, south of Italian Somaliland, and has resumed. An Italian machine is taking from Cairo a spare piston to Clouston at Khartoum, and he hopes to leave this afternoon.

MACHINES IN CAIRO NEW ZEALANDER SECOND ROSE OUT OF THE RACE LONDON, Sept. 2y Despatches from Cairo giwi the times of arrival there of six competing machines in the air race and the times "of their departure on the tiext stage of the flight as follows: — Halse, arrived 7.10 p.m., yesterday; departed, 7.47 p.m.; Clouston, 7.39 p.m. and! 8.2 p.m.; Waller and Findlay, 8.9 p.m. and 8.47 p.m.; Scott and Guthrie, 11.14 jf.m. and 11.34 p.m.; Llewellyn, 11.18 p.m. and 11.36 p.m.; Rose and Bagshaw, 1.28 a.m. to-day. Hose and his companion had been delayed at Athens owing to trouble with thei petrol pipe, but took olf after repairs. In landing at Cairo the undercarriage of the machine was broken and it jig now out of the race.

Clouston stopped at Cairo only 23 minutes, compared with Hp,lso's 37, thus virtually reducing Halse's lead to a meagre 9J minutes, taking account of the difference in the time of starting from Portsmouth.

EARLIER STAGES THREE MOR£ DROP OUT BELGRADE, Sept. 29 The scratch man in the air race, Captain liaise, arrived at Belgrade at 12.8 p.m. to-day. He was first at the compulsory station. Victor Smith arrival at 12.42 p.m., Clouston at 12.42 p.m., Waller and Findlay at 12.50 p.m., Alington' and Booth at 2.4 p.m., Scott and Guthrie at 2.8 p.m. find Llewellyn at 2.23 p.m. Major A. W. Miller arrived at 4.33 p.m. He said he was retiring from the- race, having landed at Rnma. 25 miles from Belgrade, owing to lack of petrol which took him 4J hours to obtain. ''

Smith also announced that he had abandoned the face after a forced lauding at Sc6plje, Yugoslavia, owing to oil trouble.

Clouston was only 13 minutes at Belgrade before resuming. Fifteen minutes sufficed for most of the competitors to refuel.

A message from Berlin status that W. K. Alington and Lieutenant P. Booth are out of the race. They made a forced landing at Regensburg, South. Germany, owing to running short of petrol. The occupants were not injured hut the undercarriage of the aeroplane was damaged.