WORLD’S SPEED RECORD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 74, Issue 278, 24 November 1931, Page 5

WORLD’S SPEED RECORD

STAINFORTH’S GREAT FLIGHT OVER 408 MILES AN HOUR “ACE’S” DEATHDEFYING DASH. FASTEST travel in history. Four hundred and fifteen miles an hour! That is the almost incredible speed at which Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth, Britain’s iron-nerved pilot, travelled in establishing at Calshut on September 29, a world air-speed record at an average of 408.8 miles au hour. The speed is the fastest that man has ever travelled, and the record exceeds that of 379.5 miles au hour which was set up by Stainforth on the day of the Schneider Trophy “fly-over” by nearly 30 miles an hour. The speed staggered even the designers of the wonder seaplane. Stainforth’s flight, the greatest in history, says the News of the World, was an epic of courage and skill. Although the machine had already won the Svhneidcr Trophy, its new engine pade it an unknown quantity. Its propeller had never been tested, and Stainforth had made no practice flight. Fearlessly defying death in this machine, Stainforth proved once again to the world the supremacy of British brains and British courage. It was a triumph for the pilot, the Royal Air Force and Britain. The record is all the more remarkable in view of the fact that visibility was bad, and Stainforth had to mark his true course by a cloud formation. Seven Miles a Minute. It was in a death-defying flight, packed with thrills for nearly haif an hour, that Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth performed his great feat. He was controlling the most powerful air engine ever built. After months of research this marvellous piece of machinery — the only engine of its kind in existence—was installed in the special Vickers Supermarine Rolls-Royce S 6 B machine for the speed record attempt. When the official figures of his amazing flight were announced by the Air Ministry it was realised that he had bettered his own record of 379 miles an hour, set up on September 13 by almost 30 miles an hour. He had flown over the test course at an average speed of 408.8 miles an hour —nearly seven miles a minute.

The speeds for the five laps were:— First, 415.2 miles an hour; second, 405.1 miles; third, 409.5 miles; fourth, 405.4 miles; fifth 404.5 miles. The speed exceeded the highest hopes of designers, engineers and pilots. During the attempt the weather was such that high-speed flying was only just safe, but shortly before six o ’clock the machine left the pontoon for the take-off. Like a bullet it streaked away-and leaped across Southampton Water in the direction of Cowes. In 43 seconds the plane was in the air, zooming high over Cowes. Circling Like a Rocket.

Like a Rocket Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth circled over the Isle of Wight and headed for Lee-on-the-Solent, the beginning of the speed course. Five times he streaked along the course, disappearing each time in the mist at the end, and then steered the machine westward across the Solent, and with a vertical turn roared over the castle at Calshot, while everyone marvelled.

Weather conditions had been getting worse. As Stainforth glided down, officials and experts who had been watching him became alarmed because the wind had turned against the tide, and the sea was becoming rough. They knew that the machine would touch the water at more than 100 miles an hour, and for some moments there was serious concern as to Stainforth’s safety. Stainforth touched the water, settled level, and then careered along the surface smoothly and in the right direction. Gradually the speed dropped and the seaplane came to rest. Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth was the most- unconcerned man at the air station at Calshot when he returned from his flight. He went straight to the office to write up the log of the flight. Cloud Formation as a Guide. In his log Stainforth states that he opened his throttle quickly, but the machine did not seem to get full power at any time during the take-off* He had a slight “porpoise” and he felt fore and aft instability just after getting into the air. The machine accelerated rather slowly and was tailheavy. But the engine got really going when he reached about 100 ft., and the tail-heaviness disappeared. After turning above Hamble the machine made a short run over the course from west to east and then started a series of five runs, going from the Warner Lightship at the Portsmouth end to Ilytho Her at the Southampton end. The pilot took his line by keeping his eye on a cloud formation. The landing was “0.K.” except for a slight swimming from side to side, which he easily corrected by the rudder.

Stainforth thought he had done better than on his last attempt. He said he was going as low as 100 ft. on some of the runs. His dives were steeper than on his last attempt and were also later. He experienced no more difficulty in handling the machine with the new engine than ho did with the old one, and he covered the course at practically a level height. After writing his log Flight-Lieuten-ant Stainforth went calmly home for dinner and then waited at the officers’ mess through the night and the early morning until the news of his speed record arrived. He was calmly playing a game of “shove-halfpenny” with his brother officers when a telephone message brought the glad tidings. Stainforth betrayed no sign of emotion. He lived up to the famous motto of the Royal Air Force, “Carry on.” Life in Pilot’s Hands. The record was a triumph for all the members of the High-Speed Flight. It more than justified their months of hard training and work and waiting. They had proved to the whole world that British brains and British courage had won. It was a success that will go a long way to help British industry and maintain prestige. The flight was made in the Vickers Supermarine Rolls-Royce S 6 B seaplane which had already won for England the Schneider Trophy. It was fitted with a special new Rolls-Royce

“sprint” engine. With this engine the machine became an almost unknown quantity. It was built for such a short life that Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth was unable to make a practice flight, and, in addition he was using a propeller which had been specially designed for the engine and had never been tested. In making the flight Stainforth took his life in nis hands, but he had set his heart upon achieving this amazing feat, and he set out without a qualm of fear. He had left nothing to chance. He spent many hours at night making out innumerable diagrams to arrive at the most affective dive which would enable him to obtain the maximum speed when he straightened out on to the measured course. He even went to the extent of having the cowling of the machine specially marked to help him in picking out his horizon more accurately. It is difficult for the mind fully to grasp the immensity of the performance. At Stainforth’s fastest lap of 415 miles an hour he could make the journey from London to Glasgow in less than an hour. The fastest nonstop express takes eight hours. Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth is a tall, scholarly typo of man, who always appears to be unruffled. He is one of the most popular men in the Air Force. He is 32, and after holding a commission in the army from 1919 to 1922, joined the Royal Air Force in the following year. After graduating as a pilot Stainforth was posted to the High-Speed Flight in 1928, but did not fly in the 1929 Schneider Trophy race. It was not until October, 1929, that he was granted a permanent commission in the Royal Air Force. He is classed as an Al flying instructor. Ho was Royal Air Force rifle champion in 1929, and is the present revolver champion of the Air Force. Stainforth had a narrow escape from drowning recently when his recordbreaking S B 6 machine, in which he was practising turned turtle after it had landed. He was able to release himself from the submerged pilot’s seat and climb on to one of the floats.