FIRST HOME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22539, 2 October 1936, Page 11

FIRST HOME

1 big air race ! SCOTT AND GUTHRIE LLEWELLYN CRASHES SECOND PLACE LOST jWALLEIi NEXT IN ORDER 33v Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received October I, 1 I .">•"> p.in.) JOHANNES HIIRO, Oct. 1 Mr. C. W. A. Scott, accompanied "hv Mr. Giles Guthrie, were the first of the competitors in tho air race from England to arrive at Johannesburg, in thfir Percival Vega Gull aeroplane. The airmen left Abercorn, Northern Rhodesia, at 4.45 a.m. (local time), and flagged in at the Rand .. nil-port at Germiston at 12.30 p.m. time). They had refuelled ifter several hours' sleep.

Scott and.Guthrie averaged 173 miles *n hour for 825 miles. Their flying time from Portsmouth wan 2 days 4 hours •64 minutes.

Flying-Officer D. Llewellyn (Britain), nho was second in the running, crashed at Banks Lake, Tanganyika. The aeroplane, also a Percival Vega Gull, was ■wrecked, but the airn an is safe. Mr. Ken Waller and FliglitLieutenant Findlay are 1000 miles behind. They left Juba, south of Italian Somaliland, at midnight.

Flying-jDfficer David Llewellyn, who has been an instructor for National Flying Services in England, attempted to break the Londan to Capetown record last year in a Parnall Heck, living in company with Mrs. Jill Wyiulham. Their chances vere ruined, however, by a forced landing in an African rice field. The return trip was more successful, for they beat the record established by Mrs. .J. A. Mollison, making the trip in 6 days 12 hours 17 minutes. Early this year Flying-Officer Llewellyn carried out a demonstration flight from England to Johannesburg in

*n Aeronca high-wing cabin monoplane with a 40 horse-power engine. He left England on February 7 and reached Johannesburg on Marc.i 1, having given numerous demonstrations of his machine en route. SCOTT'S CAREER (MELBOURNE RA3E WINNER GREAT ACHIEVEMENT Mr. Charles W. A. ,Scott, who, with the late Mr. Campbe I Black, is the holder of the' flying record from England to Australia, is the son of a wellknown musician. He was born in 1903 and was educated at Westminster School. After spending a year or two on a sugar estate in British Guiana, Mr. Scott took a commission in the Royal Air Force. A man of unusual strength and over 6ft. in height, he won both the heavy and light-weight boxing championships in the force. On resigning his commission, Mr. Scott went to Austral!.' and joined the Queensland Airways as a pilot. Later I he returned to Englanl, with, instrue-

tions front a wealthy Australian to ' tring out to him a British-marie aeroplane. Ho purchased a 120 horsepower de Havilland Gipsy >Fotli and, conceiving the idea of establishing a new record for the flight to Australia, had it fitted with an extra petrol tank so as to he able to carry 100 gallons. The flight was begin on April 1, 1931, rind the journey >.o l'ort Darwin, bv way of Belgrade, Karachi, Hangoon a "d Bima, accomplished in 0 days 4 hours and 11 minutes, lowering the

previous record, established by Kingsford Smith, by 18 hours, 10 minutes. The return journey, ma:lc in June, was made again ih record time.

Mr. Scott's greatest achievement to date, however,,is his flight in the Melbourne Centenary air race. Jn a speci-ally-designed de Havilland Comet, he <wd Mr. Black flew non-stop to Bagdad and thence to Singapoie, covering the "000 miles in -19 hon-'s. The flight nearly ended in disaster when one engine broke down orer the Timor Sea, but they'manager' to reach Port Darwin. Tho last lap, to Melbourne, w as done with one engine and the £IO.OOO prize won. The distance of 11,325 miles had beer covered in 2 days 23.hours.