Evening star., 1932-09-04
AVIATION
By JOSEPH S. EDGERroN.


National Air Races in Cleve
eight-year-old world landpi'
- in one day Of the transcontil
lishment of new American speet
aviation enthusiasts are turning
Cleveland tomorrow afternoon TO
year.
The fastest airplanes the CO,
NOUS pilots who have broken a
few days, are to take off in the s.
tomorrow afternoon, with the bre
speed records regarded as cert;
Among the pilots expected to
are Maj. James H. Doolittle, who
resulted in an unofficial world IL
per hour; James Haizlip, winner o
race last Monday; Roscoe Turne
to break the cross continent spe,
day; Benny o. Howard, st. Louis
of speed events during the past
place winner in the Benctx and
by Haizlip, Turner and himself in
Clemens, Mich, and Robert Hall
successors to the plane which wor
Though several of the planes entered
are capable of speeds In the neighbor'
hood of 800 miles per hour, the win
pected to exceed 260 miles per houl
because of the loss of time in rounding
the pylons marking the course. Tht
speeds attained this year are so greai
that pilots cannot stand the physica
effects of short turns, even IL their ship:
could bear the strain. Centrifugal force
at the racing speeds now attained Is
sufficient to drive the blood out of q
pilots head in a sharp turn, resulting
in what is known as "blacking out.
Obviously, an unceiscious pilot is M
good to himself or Any one else at the
scontrols Of such .. thunderbolt as the
zThompson planes n this year. They will
,3have to widen the turns enough to keer
toutside the "black-out" limit, even
y though this cost them miles per hour in
! the race.
Though the Thompson Trophy now is
I but three years old, the race, since the
.tretirement of thn Schneider Cup, has
-tbecome the worlds greatest speed event
s4Since the THOMPSON first was offered
isairplane designecs and builders have
Hturned out racing planes especially fol-
this race, their efforts reaching O new
high mark this year
The Thompson Trophy was offered by
Z Charles E. Thompson, active in the
aviation industry since the World War
I in an effort to bring back to the United
States the landplane speed laurels it los,
!; to France eight years ago. In this effort
4he very nearly realized success q veal
ago and made success certain this year
v Since the Thompson first was run. the
Schneider Trophy was retired and the
Thompson has stepped into first place
among world SPEED events.
L. First Flown ut Chicago.
The first race for the Thompson
Trophy was flown September l, 1890
at Curtiss-Reynolds Airport, Chicago
seven OF the fastest planes the country
had seen up 10 that time were on the
line when the flag dropped. Only foul
finished the 1o0-mile dash, three beine
/ forced down. Two pilots made safe
!. landings, but Capt. Arthur H, Page
I Marine CorpA, flying a Navy Curtis,
racer, was killed. Charles w. Speed
4 Holman, OF Minneapolis, in a Laird spe.
ciat blplane, Ton with an average speed
OF 2ol.9 miles per hour James Haizlip
winner OF the Bendix this year, finished
second in O Travelair Mystery S. with ar
average of 1898 miles per hour, after 3
grueling duel with Holman. Benn,
Howard, flying a plane of his own de.
sign ana manufacture, was third, aver
aging 1913 miles per hour. Lieut.. Pau
I. Adams, Nngales, Ariz., the only Other
entrant to fnish, averaged 142.64 miles
per hour
Holman,s time in the first race set q
new record for fiye-mile course. Tc
maintain his average throughout the
race o speed In excess of ESQ miles Der
hou was necessary on the straight
aways. 1t was estimated that 10 sec.
onds were lost on each of the so turns
IN the course. At the time Capt. Page
crashed 1t is estimated his speed was
more than 280 miles per hour.
Last year five speed ships of uncon-
ventional design were built for the sec.
ond Thompson, flown at Cleveland Air.
port September 2, 1881. Eight planes
responded to the nag. Lowell Bayles
nying a Gee Bee monoplane, backed
by the Springfield Air Racing Associa.
ton. won with an average speed Of
s236.24 miles per hour. Jimmy Weddel
: finished second in one Of his own plane.
at an average of 22799 miles per hour
Dale jackson, st. Louis, flying the ShiI
! plioted to victory by Holman the veal
!. before, took third place at 2i118 mile,
d per hour after striking tree-top in tht
! seventh lap, damaging one wing ane
the landing gear.
4; Robert S. Hall of Springfield, Mass.
designer of the Gee Bee planes, wa,
fourth, with speed of 201 81, and Capt
!: Ira @. Eaker, Army Air Corps; Benny
] Howard and William Ong finished ir
that order. Maj. Doolittle. flying the
Laird with which he won the Bendi1
last year. was forced down at the enc
2 of the seventh lap. He was IN seconC
: place at the time, averaging 225 mile!
per hour.
Tomorrow's race should come as ,
worthy climax to what, by all reports
appears to have been o splendid al
meet.
Giant Blimp Nears Completion.
The largest non-rigid airship in tn
United States, now under construction
by the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation
: for use by the Army Air Corps II
, coastal patrol work, is to be ready TO
trial flights about October Is. The ship
) to be known as the TC-1S, will have al
overall length of 233 feet. a diamete
6 of 54 feet and height of SO feet. 1t
a helium gas capacity will be $780, 90
fcubic feet, giving q gross lift OF 22,3o
! pounds.
The big blimp Is designed to pick u
fuel In flight by process, the detail
, of which are military secrets; cts 1t, Il WI !
= have q cruising range OF 1000 miles Q
65 miles per hour or will be able I
operate 100 hours at rs miles per hou
on q single load of fuel.
The TC-13 will be the first Arm
non-rigid in which the control car
Constructed flush with the envelop
the supporting cables being attached
the top of the gas bag. Two engines
375-horsepower each, mounted on eac
side of the car, will be geared to driv
three-bladed propellers.
The crew will include three pilot
two mechanics, navigator. radio opera
tor and bomber. A radio set with
range of 5000 miles will be carried. TT
ship will carry a subcloud car whic
may be lowered to q distance OF LOT
feet below the ship, permitting II
ship to hide in clouds, while the ol
server, suspended below, is free to ol
serve and report by telephone to u