FAMOUS AIRMAN’S DEATH

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 108, 9 May 1931, Page 7

FAMOUS AIRMAN’S DEATH

WAGHORN'S GALLANT STRUGGLE. LONDON, May 7. The wife of lhe famous Schneider Cup pilot, Flight-Lieutenant H. R. D. Waghorn, was summoned to the bedside at midnight on Tuesday and watched unceasingly to the end. Waghorn fought gallantly and the doctors hoped that he would pull through, but he became unconscious yesterday afternoon and failed to recover. ANOTHER CRASH. AIR FORCE DEATHS THIS YEAR. LONDON, May 7. The third aeroplane crash in the last two or three days has resulted in the death of Aircraftsman Merriman. The pilot was not. injured. Waghorn’s death brings the total deaths in the Air Force to 42 in .1931. A cablegram published yesterday stated that while flying low over Farnborough Common in a gale a Horsley aeroplane crashed. It was piloted by the Schneider Cup race pilot, FlightLieutenant H. R. D. Waghorn, who was accompanied by a test pilot, Mr E. Alexander. The occupants seized parachutes and jumped nnd were carried half a mile. Lieutenant Waghorn broke an ankle and his head was injured, which necessitated an operation. Mr Alexander was cut on tho leg. Both men were sent to hospital. The machine lauded on the roof of a factory and was smashed. Lieutenant Waghorn won the Schneider Cup for Britain in the contest of 1929. He was born in .Kensington, London, in 1904, and educated at Wellington College, Berkshire. Jn .1922 he became a cadet at the Air Force College at Cranwell, and, qualifying for a commission in two years, was pointed to No. 17 Squadron. Soon afterwards he took a course at the G'mtral Flying

School, secured an instructor’s certificate and remained at the school in that capacity. He rapidly developed air “stunting” gifts and the remarkable display of “acrobatics” which he and other officers gave at the Royal Air Force display in 1927 created a sensation. In February, 1929 he left the flying school to join the High Speed Flight. Ho was one of those selected co defend the Schneider Cup in the contest on September 7, 1929. It took place over the Solent between the Isle of Wight and the mainland of England on a four-angled course, seven times round, which measured 218 J miles. On the day before that fixed for the contest Lieutenant Waghorn finished his navigability trials and when asked how the machine had behaved said the engine had “popped” once. This statement caused the engineers to make a thorough examination, and, to their horror, they found one of the cylinders so badly scored that a sustained Hight next day would have been impossible, This discovery was made at 2 a.m.—only 12 hours before the race was to start. It was a grim and seemingly hopeless problem, but it was faced. Five export mechanics were iound and got out uf bed unceremon i<msly and by 7.39 a.m. lhe engine was lilted with a new cylinder and running perfectly. With this machine— a Su permarinc Rolls-Royce seaplane—Lieutenant Waghorn made a world’s record with an average speed of 328 miles an hour and won the trophy. In one of his laps he reached a speed of 330.9 miles an hour, but this was beaten by another British competitor. FlyingOfficer Atcherley, with a record of 332. 19 miles. Lieutenant Waghorn was nt Farnborough in connection with the training of the British team for this year’s {Schneider Cup race.