THE AIR RACE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22999, 30 September 1936, Page 9

THE AIR RACE

CROYDON TO JOHANNESBURG HANDICAPS DECLARED (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON, Sept. 28. The handicaps for the Johannesburg Air Race are:— Lieutenant Booth, 21 hours 58 minutes. Flying-officer Llewellyn, 13 hours 27 minutes. Mr C. W. A. Scott, 13 hours 14 minutes. Mr Victor Smith, 10 hours 34 minutes. Flying-officer Clouston, 6 hours 25 minutes. Mr Ken Waller, 3 hours 13 minutes.

Flight-lieutenant Rose, 3 hours 6 minutes. Major Miller, 72 seconds. Captain Halse, scratch.

It was announced in May that a South African industrialist, Mr I. W. Schlesinger, would donate £IO,OOO for'prizes in an air race from London to Johannesburg. The race will be over a total distance of about 6500 miles and will be held in conjunction with the British Empire Exhibition at Johannesbuhg, which was opened on September 15. Only British pilots and British aircraft may compete. According to the final details of the race, issued by the Racing Committee of the Royal Aero Club, the machines will start at intervals of one minute. This difference in time will be adjusted at Cairo, which will be the only official control point in the race, although the competitors must be seen turning at the Zimum Aerodrome, Belgrade. Imperial Airways, Ltd., has undertaken the responsibility for lighting the ground control at all the known airports on the route. The airports will remain lighted all night on September 29 and 30 and October 1.

Each pilot may refuel where he pleases. He may fly non-stop over long stages, with the power plant throttled to economical cruising speed, or fly shorter stages at full throttle and refuel more frequently. Probably every crew in the race will have different ideas of the best way to achieve success. The competitors, to qualify, must reach Johannesburg not later than 120 hours after leaving England. The biggest prize (£4000) will go to the competitor who completes the course in the shortest time. Four prizes will be awarded on a formula handicap which is weighted in favour of machines carrying large useful loads. This is intended to encourage the economical commercial aeroplane of high performance. The first of these prizes will be £3OOO, the second £ISOO, and the third £IOOO and the fourth £SOO.

The lowest speed at which handicaps' were based was 150 miles an hour. Only experienced, pilots were accepted. The chief pilot of any aeroplane must have done 100 hours of solo flying. The interval between the offering of the prize by Mr Schlesinger and the race itself was too short for the building of special machines for it, but there is a good representation of high-speed British machines, some of them ofcthe small airliner class. THE RACE STARTED LONDON, Sept. 29. (Received Sept. 29, at 10 p.m.) Waller took off at 6.30 a.m., and then at minute intervals followed Halse, Booth, Rose, Clouston, Llewellyn, Miller, Scott and Smith. Each pilot carries letters from the Lord Mayors.of London and Portsmouth to the Mayor of Johannesburg. The weather is clear, with a big harvest moon and an almost complete absence of wind. A large crowd gathered overnight and spent the time dancing, singing and listening to music. Over 500 cars were parked at the aerodrome. JOKE PLAYED ON CLOUSTON LONDON, Sept. 29. (Received Sept. 30, at 1.30 a.m.) Dawn was just breaking when Waller left in the most powerful machine, which is numbered 13 and carries a wireless operator and a passenger. His fellow officers played a joke on Clouston by affixing a large “ L,” to signify that he was a learner, beneath the fuselage. It could not be seen until he was aloft. Scott should have been the last to leave, but the unlucky Smith lived up to his reputation. His engine was slow to start, so Scott was flagged away first. However, Smith soon overtook him,

ROSE ARRIVES AT LINZ VIENNA, Sept. 29. (Received Sept. 30, at 1.45 a.m.) Flight-lieutenant Rose arrived at Linz at 11.6 a.m.