SCOTT WINS AIR RACE

Evening Star, Issue 22459, 2 October 1936, Page 9

SCOTT WINS AIR RACE

FIRST AT JOHANNESBURG LLEWELLYN’S PLANE WRECKED Press Association —By Telegraph Copyright JOHANNESBURG, October 1. Mr C. W. A. Scott has arrived here. He flagged in at 12.3 G, local time. His flying time was 3,174 minutes. A message from the Rand states that Llewellyn crashed on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The plane was wrecked, but the occupants are safe. [Mr C. W. A. Scott, who, with the late Captain T. Campbell Black, is the holder of the flying record from England to Australia, has had a notarne carrer in aviation. He is now 33 years old, and made his first flight from England to Australia in 1930. w’hen he took a Gipsy Moth machine out for a wealthy Australian in 9 days 4h 11mm, thus breaking the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith’s record. He flew back to England in June, 1931, and in the following year set up a new record to Australia in the face of extraordinary difficulties. Mr Scott’s greatest achievement, however, was the winning of the Melbourne air race in 2 days 4h. His partner, Captain Campbell-Black, who was recently killed at Liverpool, was to have been a contestant in the race to South Africa.] LLEWELLYN'S BAD LUCK WELL AHEAD OF SCOTT. LONDON, October 1. (Received October 2, at 1.30 a.m.) A message from the Rand discloses that Llewellyn was well ahead of Scott when he crashed. He apparently arrived in the neighbourhood of Abercorn yesterday evening and cruised for an hour seeking the aerodrome, which he was unable to find owing to great clouds of smoke drifting over the countryside from grass fires. Finally his petrol finished and he crashed at Mpulongu on the southern end of Lake Tanganyika. Waller was delayed by severe storms between Juba and Kusumu. SCOTT'S COMPANION YOUNGEST COMPETITOR IN RACE. LONDON, October 1. (Received October 2, at 1.30 a.m.) “ It is wonderful,” said Mr Scott’s wife. “I am very proud of Scotty and am looking forward to welcoming him.” Giles Guthrie, Scott’s companion, was the youngest competitor in the race. He is 20 years old and is a son of Sir Connop Guthrie and an undergraduate at Cambridge. He received special permission to compete and has flown several thousand miles in Britain. Scott completed the PortsmouthJohannesburg flight in 19h 28min less than Mrs Amy Mollison’s record-break-’ing flight to Cape Town. She, however, flew a different route. THE FIRST TRAGEDY FINDLAY AND MORGAN KILLED LONDON, October 1. (Received October 2, at 10 a.m.) A message from Abercorn says Mr Ken Waller’s Airspeed crashed and Flight-lieutenant Max Findlay and the wireless operator, Morgan, were killed. [Flight-lieutenant Max Findlay, who was chief instructor to National Flying Services at Hansworth, was born in February, 1898. He served with the Royal Air Force during the Great War. He was a, member of the Technical Committee of the British Gliding Association, and was an examiner for instructors to the Guild of Air Pilots.] CRASHED WHILE TAKING OFF LONDON, October 1. (Received October 2, at 10.15 a.m.) Waller’s plane crashed at Abercorn. Findlay, the co-pilot, and Morgan, wireless operator, were killed. Waller and the mechanic, Peachy, are suffering from shock. The machine crashed while taking off. ACCOUNT BY EYE-WITNESS JOHANNESBURG, October 1. (Received October 2, at noon.) The air race, which had been full of thrills since the start, was marred within a few hours of Scott’s arrival as an easy winner by the double tragedy at Abercorn. Waller experienced difficulty in starting his engines when he tried to take off. He was delayed 75 minutes. Then he was again obliged to make a descent. An Abercorn eyewitness says: “The wind immediately changed, and the airmen were advised not to depart, especially as tlie machine bad to run uphill. Waller determined not to wait, for he thought he had a good chance of catching Scott. Accordingly he began the fatal run. The piano managed to lift from the ground, but could not clear the trees at the end of the aerodrome, and crashed straight into them. It fell to earth and was smashed into hundreds of pieces. Four bodies were lying in the debris. Findlay and Morgan were terribly injured, and lived for only a few minutes. Waller and Peachey struggled to their feet. Both are suffering from broken ribs and their logs are hurt, but their condition is not serious. They are now in Abercorn Hospital.” Peachey was a passenger. Findlay , since the war, bad been examiner to the Guild of Air Pilots. Morgan was 28 years of age, and was married only three months ago. His wife is employed at Croydon aerodrome. It is now recalled that the machine was No. 13 'ln the race. The question

of changing the number was raised before the start, but the flyers refused to do this. THE OFFICIAL TIME CAPE TOWN, October 1. (Received October 2, at 10.15 a.m.) Scott’s official time was 52hr 56min 48sec, and his average speed was 123 miles an hour. A fund has been opened at the suggestion of Mr Pirow and with the approval of General Hertzog and Mr Havenga to mark appreciation of Halso’s effort. NO HIGH SPOTS SCOTT’S COMMENT ON RACE. JOHANNESBURG, October 1. (Received October 2, at 10.5 a.m.) Scott said: “It was just an ordinary job of work. There were no high spots or tough weather. It was a but mucky and bumpy after Tabora, but it was less exacting than the Melbourne flight because it was shorter.” Scott decided not to continue to the Cape in an attempt to gain a new record. SCOTT'S UNCERTAINTY LONDON, October 1. (Received October 2, at 11 a.m.) A message from Johannesburg says Scott revealed that till he landed he was not aware whether he was still in the race. He said he regretted to hear of Halse’s ill luck. AIR MINISTER'S CONGRATULATIONS (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, October 1. (Received October 2, at noon.) Viscount Swinton (Air Minister) sent a telegram of congratulations to Scott. Ho said: “ It is a great tribute to your airmanship and endurance that you should have repeated your success in the Melbourne race of two years ago. The result is a striking justification also of the intentions of the donor ami the organisers of the race in demonstrating the excellence of British aircraft design.” (Houston, who is delayed at Khartum with engine trouble, remains eligible for the handicap prize. He has until 6.Cl a.m. (British summer time) on Sunday to reach Johannesburg. MR SGHLESINGER'S SORROW INTENDS TO HEDP AIRMEN’S DEPENDENTS. JOHANNESBURG, October 1. (Received October 2, at 2 p.m.) Mr Schlesinger said: “My grief at the tragic end of two gallant airmen was intensified on learning that one has a wife and two children and the other a wife; but it is not my intention that the dependents should suffer further. If no other competitors arrive within the scheduled time I am of opinion that the £6,000 balance of the prize money should go to the dependents of the two victims. In addition, I have instructed my representatives in London to make all investigations possible and to express my desire to aid the widows’ children.* Scott, when told of the disaster, said : “ 1 am immeasurably distressed, J knew both bovs well.'’