NOTABLE AIR RACE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22833, 14 September 1937, Page 15

NOTABLE AIR RACE

JJEW ZEALAND FOURTH flying-officer clouston A GOOD PERFORMANCE THREE-YEAR-OLD MONOPLANE TFKOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] LONDON. August •>.*> The Italian team took the fust tliiee 'daces in the litres-Damascus-Paris air Lee which began on the nighe of August 20 and finished at Lu Bourget the next"afternoon. The only English comnetitor, Flying-Officer A. K. Clouston, piioiine »' B H < -' o '" c V "," s "'"i"'Clouston is a New Zealander who has done well in the Royal Air Force. An enormous crowd gave Signor Cupini and bis co-pilot, Signor Paraj an enthusiastic welcome as they landed at Le Bourget at 4.12 p.m. These two pilots, who were last but one to leave lstres, win half the total prize money of about £2:2.(300. They covered the distance of about 3880 miles in 1" Hours 17 minutes, at an average spee'd of 222.8 miles an hour, the landing at Damascus included. An Italian machine piloted by Colonel Biseo and Lieut. Bruno .Mussolini. the Duee's son. was third to land, but took second place with a time of 17 hours 59 minutes 35 seconds. A LOne Representative Signor Fiori and Signor Lucchini, who" landed ' a few minutes earlier, took third place in the final classification, having'covered the course in 18 hours 2 minutes 30 seconds. On the flight to Damascus this machine averaged 265 m.p.h. M. Codos, a member of the French team, was fifth in a "Fulgur." Great Britain has reason to be proud of its lone representative. The Comet monoplane which won the EnglandAustralia speed and handicap races in October, 1934, finished fourth to three Italian aircraft each disposing of six times the combined power of the Comet's two Gipsv-Six 200 horsepower engines, and in front of every French competitor. Five of the eight Italian -starters were also behind tho Comet at the finishing line; one was seriously damaged in taking-off •at Damascus, and two others abandoned the raw in Italy on the way back. Speedy Refuelling

In the hands of Flight-Lieut. Clouston and Flight-Lieut: Nelson (navigator) the three-year-old monoplane averaged 195.4 m.p.h. over the difficult course of 3846 miles. It made out? descent only'; at Damascus, which it was the tenth machine to reach. Study of the speeds maintained by the competitors over the outward and return flights indicates that the Comet might well have been higher in the lists at Damascus Against - the winds on the way to Paris. the little British racer maintained 'relatively better speeds than on the easier outward run. lime was saved by speedy refuelling, which took only 23 minutes, against the 45 to ,50 minutgs needed by... the larger Italian and French machines, and the Comet made, up six places on tho return Ice Forms on Wings The flight was not without incident. Over the Swiss Alps, at a height of 15.000 ft., ice began to form on the wings, forcing the monoplane down and down until it was within 250 ft. of the mountain sides, when the ice thawed and Clouston was able to regain compete control.

Over the whole course the Comet was 20 m.p.h. slower than the winning monoplane, with its three 750 horsepower engines, and 15 m.p.h. quicker than the fastest French competitor, a monoplane with two 900 horse-power engines. Evidently there is nothing wrong with the design of the Comet, which years after its first appears,nee is still one of the world's fastest longdistance vehicles.

When the New Zealander landed the Union Jack was run up and "God Save the King" was played.