THE MAN AND THE RACE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 202, 21 May 1919, Page 7

THE MAN AND THE RACE

Tho original list of entries for. the "Daily Mail" prize was as follow:— Royal Aero Club. Speed. H.P. m.p.h. Sopwith (Brit.) 375 100 (Pilot, Mr. H. G. Hawker) Whitehead (Brit.) 1600 115 (Plot, Cant. A. Payze) Aero Club of America. ' Seaplane -140 — (Pilot, Capt. 11. Sundstedt) Haudloy Page (Brit.) ... 1600 100 Caproni (Italian) — — Mr. R. O. Gary, managing director of the Sopwith Aviation Company. Ltd., Kingston-on-Thames, called at the Royal Aero Club, London, on March 18, with a. cheque for .£IOO, the entrance fee, and officially entered a specially-designed twoseater Sopwith biplane, fitted with a single 375 h.p. Rolls-Royce "Eagle" engine, which, ho said, has been secretly constructed at great pressure in two months.

Mr. Hurry G. Hawker, chief pilot, of the Snpwith Company—who achieved fame by his gallant, attempt lo win I lie "Daily Mai!" ,£SOOO Watorplano Contest i-ound Great llritain in August. 1913. and for some tirae held l.hp British height record —was nominated as pilot, and Lieuten-ant-Commander Mackenzie Grieve, 8.N., ns navigator. Tho entry was accepted. Mr. Cary, in handing over the cheque, which goes toward? the Iloyal-Acro Chib's expense in managing the.flight, informed MrMI. E. Perrin, secretary of the club, (hat Mr. Hawker and Commander Grieve, together with tho machine and staff of mechanics, had already left for St. John's, Newfoundland.

Mr. Perrin .said that the club has mado arrangements with the Air Ministry for Major A. Partridge, JI.AJF., to net as offieiui starter in Newfoundland, and this officer will sre to the timing, scaling, and marking of the machine for identification. Mr. A. Clements, of tho Air Ministry civilian staff, will provide Mr. Hawker

and his companion with the latest meteorological information. Shortly before leaving his houseat Snrbiton, Mr. Hawker, an energetic Australian of 27, said that every contingency liable to arise has been provided for. He believes the flight will be made in 19J hours. "The machine," he said, "is by no means a freak." It follows the general linos of construction adopted by Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith in his war planes, and is 40ft. Gin. wide by 31ft. long and lias a flight duration of about 25 hours at 100 miles ah hour.

"During a daylight to dusk duration test recently Lieutenant-Comman-der Grieve and myself covered over 300 miles in 9 hours s'ininutes, exactly half tho distance between Newfoundland and Ireland. We used 140 gallons of petrolslightly over one-third the capacity of the tanks, which are placed behind the ei.gino and in front of the cockpit, in which Commander Grieve and myself vill sit side'by side. At the end of this lwig test the engine was developing the 'same power as at the start, which haves us to beliovo that once started all that will be necessary for us to do is to sit tight until we see land ahead! "I propose leaving St. John's at 4 o'elock in the afternoon, American time, and, travelling through tho night, wo hope to pass the south coast rf Ireland shortly after noon the next day, English time, arriving at Hiooklands -at 4 o'clock, a total flying time of 1!)J hours.

'"In ca« of a forced descent into tho sea Mr. Sopwith has so constructed the 'fairing' of flic fuselage thnt it forms a boat large enough to support both of us in Hie water for some considerable lime: We are also wearing life-saving jackets.

"A. medical officer from the Air Ministry has made us up a scientific 'tuckhox' representing a food valuo of 3000 calories, sufficient for 4S hours. This includes loaf sugar, cheese sandwiches, toffee, tabloids, and hot coffee in Thermos flasks."

Lieutenant-Commander Grieve considers that provided the weather remains fair no great difficulties will be experienced in fixing!the position of the aeroplane every few hours. A "directional" wireless installation for long-distance communication with shore and ship stations was first installed, "but this has been replaced on account of its weight by a short-range instrument for communication with shipping.

The EollS-Eoyco''enßiup lias 12 cylinders. There are four Wntford innjrnetos, each firing G cylinders, so there is a .double spark for each cylinder. Four' autnmatic carburettors are employed. The petrol is forced by automatic and hnnd-opcrated pumps from the main fuel tank to an auxiliary tank, from whence it flows by gravity to the (-limine. A number of petrol filters have been interposed in the system to eliininnte, as far as possible, any minor uauses of delny. Both Mr. T. 0, M. Sopwith and Mr. Hawker are in the front rank of their profession, and' aeronautical circles consider that -neither would have embarked on the undertaking without, being confident, given reasonable luck, of accomplishine the flight. ' The time limit for the flight Inid down in the conditions governing the iIO.OOO !""izp is 72 hours, nearly four_tim.es Mr. Hawker's estimate of what his machine lpqnirts. A stnrt mnv be made from rnyn-here in the ITuited States. Canada, or' Newfoundland, and the landing may lip anywhere in Great Britain or Ireland. ' From St. .John's, Newfoundland, where the Scnwith attempt will begin, to Valencia Island', Ireland, is about 1880 miles.

' THE AMERICAN SEAPLANES N.C.3 CREW SAFE. _'' New York, May 19. The report that the crew of the N.C.3 have been saved is not confirmed. —Aus.-N.SS. Cable Assn. N.C.3 SIGHPED. Later. The Navy Department announces that N.C.3 was sighted seven miles from l'onta Delgada. The crew has been rescued, and the scaplaue is proceeding under its own power. The resumption of the flight of N.C.4 to Lisbon has been postponed, as the seaplane was directed to assist in the search for N.C.3.—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn. (Rec. May 20, 7.35 p.m.) New York, May 19. Tho New York '"Ames's" Washington correspondent says that the Navy Department has received a cablegram from l'onta Delgada saying that Towers, commander of N.C.3, is safe—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn. v i A RECORD TRIP BRITISH' ISLES CIRCLED. London. May 12. A military Haudley Page aeroplane with a crew of nine, has'mnde a record circuit of England, Scotland, and Ireland, in thirty hours of flying during four days. The average speed was 68 miles per hour, and the average run 450 miles a day. The weather was unfavourable, throughout the flight. When the. pilot failed to locate an aerodrome near Belfast, the aeroplane rando a remarkable Janding on Messrs. Hnrland and Wolff's-wharf, in spite of heavy wind.—Ans.-N.SS. Cable Assn