THE AIR RACE.

Evening Star, Issue 22460, 3 October 1936, Page 16

THE AIR RACE.

The race from Portsmouth to Johannesburg, which has resulted in that intrepid and efficient aviator, Mr C. W. A. Scott, adding to the laurels won by him in the more ambitious Melbourne centenary event, has been marred by a double tragedy. Two valuable lives have been lost. It is not for the layman to determine whether the unhappy ending of Flight-lieutenant Findlay and the wireless operator, Mr Morgan, was duo to a. fault in the machine, to sheer back luck, or to tho fact that the leader of the crew, Mr Waller, may have been over-anxious to be on his way in the effort to catch Mr Scott. One salient conclusion, however, emerges from the description of the race as a whole. Long distance Hying can still be dangerous. Tho number of mishaps that are still occurring in the course ot long flights indicates that the time is not yet ripe for the staging of high-speed competitive events over strange territory and under conditions which may lead to pilots pressing their machines more rigorously than they would if they were working to a non-competitive, purely commercial schedule. The risks and problems associated with ordinary long flights have not yet been completely overcome, and tho general public must be pardoned if they form the opinion that the ambitions of airmen arc in advance ot the dependability of their craft. In the case of races, aviators arc, of course, directly encouraged by the monetary reward offering, so that, if one goes back far enough, it is easy to harbour doubts as to the wisdom of the well-meaning beneficence of tbo donors ot big prizes. By comparison with the Melbourne centenary race the Johannesburg event has proved a disappointment, not only because of the actual loss ot life, but also because too many competitors were forced to discontinue at a comparatively early stage.

It must not be dogmatically concluded, however, that the airmen who retired from the contest were victims either of their own incompetence or of the unreliability of their aerial charges. The worth of British brains and material has been proved too often for that. Entry was confined solely to British machines partly on account of the fact that it was thought desirable to give them publicity in South Africa and partly because the race was a stimulating attraction organised in, connection with Johannesburg Exhibition, where the displays carry a strong Imperial llavour. Whatever the result may have been, it is impossible not to admire the courage and powers of endurance of the men who set out on the groat adventure and also not to pay tribute to tbo qualities of the competing aircraft, it is certain that the products of no other country could have done better under the conditions. A mistake may have been mado in the decision of the Royal Aero Club to have only one checking station—at Cairo. Possibly tho necessity to be seen turning only at the Zimum aerodrome near Belgrade was not sufficient to create a desirable safety margin. More frequent compulsory stopping places would have had tho effect of giving competitors opportunities of overhauling their engines, of which they would jrrobably have felt bound to take advantage. It is evident that the winner, Mr Scott, is outstanding even among such a notable collection of aviators as those who took part in the race. The combination of Scott and an engine whose exfery part must have been clearly understood produced an achievement which leaves the world lost in admiration, but which the modest Englishman himself designates “ an ordinary job of work.” As long as there are Scotts figuring in British aviation our destiny in the air is secure.