The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-07-04
Eleven Airmen Make
Flight From Calais
to Dover.
NO SENSATIONS
LEFT IN JOURNEY
Perilous Feat of Short While Ago
Has Become Commonplace.
Beaumont Wins London
Standard Prize for Fastest
Trip-First Half of
Race Ends.

London. July 3.-The first half OF
the International circuit aviation race
was ended at Hendon Park aerodrome
Just outside London. to-day. Andre
beaumont, Frenchman, made the
speediest trip from Paris to Eendor
and was awarded the London Stand.
ards prize OF $4,000. B. Gilbert, an
other Frenchman, Won the Dover tro
ply for the fastest passage across the
English Channel Vedrines. Vidart
kimmerling, Beaumont, Valentine and
Garros reached Hendon closely bunch
ed
Londoners We're early astir to-day
to witness the arrival of the compet-
ing airmen at Eendon. and before S
o'clock many thousands assembled at
the huge aerodrome, where the prog
ress of the flight fran Calais was in
dicated on huge blackboards and by
the explosion of aerial bombs. An
elaborate system OF pilotage had been
arranged fiom Dover 10 Hendon, as
well as at the aeroGrome, to facilitate
an easy passage and descent. Never
theless Train lost his bearings near
Newhaven and was compelled to des-
cend. He alIghted rather roughly, and
his machine, running down hill, was
damaged.
vcdrincs Arrives First.
vedrines in his monoplane was the
first TO arrive. reaching here at s:34:53
He was given q great reception as he
stepped out of his machine very II,
and cheerfully said ne had a splendid
passage across the channel and up
the coast.
half hour later Vidart descended
gracefully Kimmerling, Beaumont
Valentine and Garros landed within
the next half hour in the order named.
Tebuteau appeared at ll:l5 o'clock, he,
too. having lost his way. AS he got
out OF his, ma cAipe he sank to the
ground and in Moment was asleep.
Eleven Cross Channel.
Only by making the cross-channel
flight under some extraordinary cir
cumstances will any aviator ever be
able hereafter to gain any particular
glory from the feat. After to-day the
flight will be considered an ordinary
affair. for the morning saw no less
than eleven airmen, contestants in the
European circuit race. wing their way
across the channel and alight in Dover
as easily as flock OF birds might
have done. Moreover, one of the elev-
en-. RenauX, carried a passenger in his
biplane
The morning was perfect. hardly a
breath OF wind ruftiing the surface of
the channel as the pick OF Europe's
expert aviators headed from Calais
for this shore. The air was as still
when they landed on the downs a
Dover.
a great crowd had surrounded the
landing place in anticipation of the
arrival of the birdmen. They had but
a short wait before Vedrines. consis-
tently the leader in the previous
stages OF the race drove his mono
plane into view out OF a bank OF
fieecy clouds that hung lowering over
the channel.
He made for the aerodrome and
landed gracefully. The flight from
Calais had been accomplished in about
half an hour. Other contestants fol.
lowed in quick succession. Seven
monoplanes were almost punched;
then came two biplanes. and another
monoplane brought up the rear
As Orderly as a Race Meeting.
Everything went as orderly and in
as ordinary fashion as at horse race
meeting. One by one the machines ap-
peared over the trees. swept down to
the aerodrome. circled It. and landed
without a semblance of a mishap.
There was none of the excitement that
had characterized the finish of the
previous cross-channel flights. nor
were the aviators exhausted. Instead
they crawled from their aeroplanes
and calmly walked away with friends.
while their machines were taken to
the hangers to be overhauled. very
much as a race horse might be led to
its stable for a rub down.
Soon after the last of the eleven avn
ators had landed the wind began to
freshen, and 1t was decided to start
Immediately on the next stage of the
contest--to Shoreham and thence to
London. The start was accordingly
made. and with the same precision that
bad characterized the arrival at Dover
The machines left II two minute inter
walls, only one exceeding that time. and
that only by a few seconds
Vedrines arrived at Shoreham at 1919.
followed by all the others excepting
Train and Gilbert. The former descend
ed 1T Newhaven and the latter at East
bourne.
Again Vedrines led the way. starting
for Rendon at 1896
a number OF army officers we're deep
ly interested spectators of to-day's
nigh; across the channel. Comments
were freely made as to the possibility.
granting the continued development of
the aeroplane. of landing an invading
force on British territory by their use
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