The Aircraft and Their Crews

New Zealand Listener, Volume 29, Issue 742, 2 October 1953, Page 20

The Aircraft and Their Crews

LONDON-CHRISTCHURCH

FOURTEEN entries, representing five nations -nine in the speed section and five in the transport handicap--made up the field for the London-Christchurch International Air Race as this issue of "The Listener" went to Press. The pilots and navigators and their aircraft are listed below (speed section first) under their race numbers and oppropriate flags. Listeners who plan: to pinpoint the Progress of the race may find it helpful to clip out the numbered flags and paste them round the pins.

No. 1 CANBERRA

English Electric Canberra P.R. 3 (R.A.F. ent Win Commander L. M. Hodges, D.S.0., D.F.C. (pilot); Squadron Leader R. Currie, A.F.C. (navigator).

No. 2 CANBERRA -----

English Electric ‘Canberra Pp. R. ‘$ e A.F. entry): Squadron Leader L. G. Press, A.F.C. (pilot); Flight Lieutenant J. W. Harper, D.F.C (navigator).

No. 3 CANBERRA |

English Electric "Canberra P.R. 3 (R.A.F. entry): Flight Lieutenant R. L. E. Burton,

A.F.C. (pilot); Flight Lieutenant D. H. Gannon, D.F.C. (navigator).

No, 4 CANBERRA

Australian-built English Electric Canberra B Mk. If bomber (R.A.A.F. entry): Wing Commander D. R, Cumming, A.F.C. and Bar (pilot); Flying Officer R. J. Atkinson (copilot); Squadron Leader C. G, Harvey (navigator).

No. 5 CANBERRA

Australian-built English Electric Canberra BMk. If bomber (R.A.A.F. entry): Squadron Leader P, F. Raw, D.F.C. (pilot); Flight Lieutenant .F. N. Davis, D.F.C. (co-pilot); Flight Lieutenant W. D. Kerr (navigator).

No. 6 MOSQUITO

Australian-built De Havilland Mk. 41 P.R. Mosquito: Squadron Leader A. J. R. Oates, D.F.C. «(pilot); Flight Lieutenant D. Swain, D.F.C. (co-pilot and navigator). This machine,

en R.A.A.F. Mesquite, which had been written dewn for disposal, was presented to Squedron Leader Oates by the Australian: Air Ministry. ‘ .

No. 7 MUSTANG

Australian-built North American P51 Mustang, entered, and to be flown by Flight Lieutenant J. L. C. Whiteman, Flight Lieutenant Whiteman was reported last week as hoving withdrawn from the race, but. no official notice of withdrawal had been -received by the International Air Race Council at the time this issue went to press.

No. 8 MOSQUITO

De Havilland Mosquito, entered, and to be flown by Captain J. Woods.

No. 10 VALIANT

Vickers Valiant B Mk. | (R.A.F.° entry): E, B, Trubshaw, M.V.O. (captain); Squadron Leader R. G. W, OQakley, D.S.O., D.F.C., D.F.M. (co-pilot); D. L. Jones and Flight Lieutenant W. R. Peasley, D.F.C. (navigators); F. Curtis (flight engineer); G, R. Holland (flight observer).

HANDICAP SECTION

No. 21 LIFTMASTER

Douglas DC6A,. entered by K.L.M. Royal Dutch Airlines: Captain H. A. A. Kooper (captain); J. -F. Griffith (Ist officer); P. J. Aarts (2nd officer); J. 1. Noomen (3rd officer); H. van der Ham (1st flight engineer); W. F. J. Tielman (2nd ffight engineer).

No. 22 HASTI NGS

Handley Page Hastings C Mk. Ill Military Transport (R.N.Z.A,F. entry): Wing Commander R, F, Watson (captain), Senior crewSquadron Leader C. L. Siegert, D.F.C. (pilot); Flight Lieutenant R. J. H. Myhill (navigator); Flight Lieutenant A. F. Jacobson, A.F.C. (signaller); Master Engineer D. M. Stark (flight engineer); Flight Lieutenant J. D. Hurley (flight co-ordinator).

No. 23 VISCOUNT _~

Vickers Viscount 700 prototype "Endeavour," entered by British European Airways: Captain W. Baillie (captain); Captain A. §. Johnsen, D.$.0., D.F.M, (Ist officer); Captain §. Jones, D.F.C., D.F.M. (2nd pilot); R. H, Chadwick (navigator); S. Jones, R. R. (continued on next page)

_ (continued from previous page) Shaw and E. W. Walker (flight engineers). P. G. Masefield will act as team manager, and it is also reported that the plane will carry a BBC representative, with recording gear.

No, 24 LODESTAR

Lockheed Lodestor 15-86 Commercial Transport, entered by Rausch Aviation: Vincent Reavely (pilot).

Noa 25 DC 3

This Douglos DC3 was originally the entry of Mrs. G. J. McKenzie (Australia), the plane being lent by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bixby, of California. Mrs. McKenzie will not now take part in the race, and the aircraft will become an American private entry. Mrs. Dianna Bixby has been named as pilot-in-charge, with Miss Betty Haas as co-pilot. The competing aircraft will take off trom London Airport between 4.30 and 6.0 a.m. New Zealand time on Friday, October 9. They will depart at five-minute intervais, handicap plones first. Between the ‘handicop and the speed sections there will be an interval of about half an hour. Aircraft leave in order of their race numbers, so that the Vickers Valiant, No. 10 in the speed section, will be the last to take off. The starter is the Duke of Gloucester. News of progress in the race will come in the first instance from stations of the International Civil Aviation Communicetions Network along the route. This will be received at Musick Point, Auckland, and sent by teleprinter to the air race operations room at Christchurch Airport. There information of public interest will be sieved out and hended to the NZBS and the Press. Additional information . for inclusion in NZBS bulletins may be obtained by monitoring overseas shortwave stations. To assist aircroft on the ‘etter stages of the journey, two naval: vessels will be stationed in the Tasman Sea. The Australian | aircraft-carrier Vengeance will be at 161deg. 30 min. E., 42deq. 30 min. S., and the New Zealand frigate Lachlan at 166deg. E., 43deg. S. The duties of H.M.A.S. Vengeance are to act as a radio beacon for the aircrafts’ radionavigational equipment, .to broadcast weather reports, to maintain a listening watch on the intefnational distress frequency, and to conduct search and rescue operations if necessary. H.M.N.Z.S. Lachlan, at her station nearer New Zealand, will share the last two of these functions. An additional radio-navigation aid will be provided by\transmissions from Stations 3YA, 2YA and 3YZ, which remain on the air throughout Friday gisht and Saturday morning. At 15-minute intervals from 12.15 a.m. on Soturday, these stations will also broadcast weather reports for the guidance of aircroft. . At Christchurch Airport the race aircraft will finish by diving across a line between oa hongar and a pylon. For the speed section it will be possible to determine the winner by a simple calculation of time, but in the handicap section a formula must be worked out for each aircraft. The Governor-General, Sir Willoughby Norrie, will be on hand to greet the crews of speed section aircraft cs they arrive. With him will be Britain’s Secretary for Air, Lord de L‘Isle"and Dudley, and the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations, Lord Swinton. The air race authorities expect a crowd of at least 60,000 will be at Harewood to watch the finish. Judged by the cify’s response to the other centennial celebrations in 1950 the estimate may be a conservative one.