Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-31
TROPHY
|. SEEN AID TO SPEED
Eleven Planes Entered in
Race Expected to Revive
Fast Land Competition.
BY JOSEPH s. EDGERTON,
stan Correspondent Of The Star.

i
nal the start of one of the most spec
tacular aviation events OF years when
the first of 10 annual races for the new
Thompson trophy is TO be held In an
effort to revive land plane racing as a
major event
/ Not since 1923 has land plane racing
been treated with the consideration ae-
| corded in the days of the Pulitzer races
| which produced the fastest planes this
country has seen. In 1924 the land
plane speed record passed from the
| United States when Warrant Of1cel
| Bonnet of France established the pres
ent record of 289 miles per hour. The
American record of 266 miles per houI
was established in 1923 by Lieut.. Afford
J. williams and may fall on Monday
after standing for seven years.
The attention of the aeronautical
| world is focused on the Thompson race
which is regarded as of the most vita
| Importance to American aviation during
the next decade The prize is the
richest ever offered for racing event
in this country and, while only IL ships
are entered there being no more con-
| sidered worthy of starting. 1t Is thought
certain that by next year the produc-
ton OF special planes for the event will
begin.
q Navy Reyives Study.
The failure of the United States to
maintain its place in the world of speed
was the subject of congressional in
vestigation last Spring and the Navy
Department has begun a new study oil
| speed planes, curtailed after the Army
and Navy dropped out of Schneider
Trophy racing several years ago.
| The United States military services
will be without representation in the
race except for plane developed with
great secrecy by Capt. Arthur H. Page
| Marine Corps, winner of the last Cur
tiSs marine trophy race at the National
Capital, who now is on duty in the
| Navy Department. Capt. Page is looked
upon as one of the strong contenders
| in the race on the basis of reports boot
legged around concerning his planes
performance. Rumurs place the speed
of the plane at. anywhere from 200 tC
300 miles per hour. Capt. Page used
as the basis for his plane the CurtlsS
Hawk in which he won the Curtiss race
He removed the floats, substituting land
wheels, made monoplane OF it by re-
| moving the lower wing, cleaned up the
streamlining and installed a 550-horse-
power CurtiSs ConQueror engine.
Page is going to need all of his skill
in handling the ship which has a re-
pIted landing speed of rs miles pei
hour. Jimmy Haizlip and Paul Adams
! are expected to be the other two out
standing contenders, both flying Travel
air mystery ships of the type which
beat the Army and Navy for the first
time in the history of the national ali
races last year at Cleveland.
All Entries MOnoplanes.
1t is interesting to note that every
| nlQnp Pnfnrpn Il
plane, though the placing of the wings
varies from the high-wing to the low
wing types. The race will be 20 laps
of smile course, the race tncludine
so pylon turns, so that flying skill will
count as heavily as sheer speed. A
purse of $4,000 in addition to the
beautiful Thompson Trophy is being
contested for.
One of the most disappointing fea.
lures Of the races has been the poor
performance put up by the women pi-
lots. Entries in the two derbies fol
women pilots was small and they have
failed to enter the races In any mum.
bers. In the dead-stick landings they
have been consistently wide of thu
mark, many winning places with land.
ings more than 800 feet away, as con.
trasted with the men who have fought
for fractions of inches.
Today Ruth Nichols won the WON.
ems contest with a distance of more
than lib feet from the marker. Th,
second man was 3 feet 4 inches away
and the third 6 feet inches. Yester.
day the men were even more cloSel,
punched for the first three places, while
the first three women ranged from
more than 100 to $50 feet away. Pre-.
cision in landing is one of the acie
tests of plotting ability.
The women pilots, however. hay,
been adding much to the color of tn,
show, conducting an informal costum,
competition. They have demonstrated
what the woman pilots should anC
should not wear, several of them hav
ing brand-new outfits for each day IL
the week. Their style show competi
ton has been much more bitter thar
their aerial competitions.
Army Corps Wins HOnOrs.
The Army Air Corps, though repre-
sented by fewer planes than in pas
years, has covered itself with glor,
during the races. The Selfridge Fielc
pursuiters have added several new com
bat demonstrations TO their show, in
Guiding an l8-plane Lufberry circle
which produces one of the most sus
tanned and noisy thrills of the SHOW
for the crowds.
Some of the finest flying of the en-.
tire show, however, was done by thret
bombardment pilots from the End Bonn
bardment Group, Langley Field, Hamp
ton, Va, IN their huge and nor.
mally lethargic twin-engined bombers
Lieuts. T. S. Powers, M. E. Hueqin!
and w. c. Davis Of the 96th lombard
ment Squadron were the pilots. Thel
Unanswered the big planes like pur.
/ suit ships in the severest public test Il
Which the bombers have ever been put
The bombers passed the maximum
speed OF $50 miles per hour recorded
on their air speed indicators.
The indicator hands were driver
hard against the stop pin before tn,
maximum speeds Of the Divest wer,
reached, and 1t is thought by Lieut.
Powers, leading the fight, that tn,
l80-mile- peT-hour mark was passed
This is double the cruising speed of tn,
ships.
The Air Corps also has taken I
prominent place on the radio, Lieut.
Arthur 1. Ennis of the office of the chic
of the Air Corps, washington, ant
Lieut.. Marshall Andrews. Air Corps Re
serve, also of Washington, being il
heavy demand for broadcasting thu
racing events. Both are on the al
daily and have talked for 10 radio sys
TENS or individual stations, including
all the majer circuits.
Balloon Jumping Thrilling.
The crowds here have been treateC
to one of aviation's oldest thrills
balloon jumping The jumper uses
tiny balloon which neutralizes all blu
about FIVE pounds of his weight ant
hangs in a loop which leaves his fee
free A shove with his feet sends hin
IS or 80 feet into the air and he land