Evening star., 1934-09-09


The American pilots will be pittet
against the most noted airmen oi
many countries, among them Sir Alar
j. Gotham, Lieut.. H. r. A. Kidston
Flight Lieut.. G. Shaw, william Court
enay, j. A. Mollison, T. Neville Stack
and H. F. Broadbent, of Great Brit
ain; Wolff Hirth of Germany; Mich
ael Detroyat, Capt. Edouard Cornig-
lion-Moliner and Jacques de Siboul
of France: Sir Charles Kingsford-
Smith of Australia, Col. James Fits
maurice of Ireland, and Koene D.
Parmentier of Holland.
Most Modern Types Entered.
Many of the planes will be multi
engined types, including the fastest
OF the new twin-engined transports
developed in the United States in
recent months, several Of them flying
under foreign colors. These planes
will carry crews Of three or more men.
Comparatively few of the contestants
are expected to fly solo during the
race, which is expected to be far too
long and severe for the endurance OF
an unaided individual.
Col. Roscoe Turner and Clyde Pang-
born, who originally filed separate
entries, have teamed up" and will
fly together in one of the big Boeing
twin-engined monoplanes, carrying a
third man as radio operator, accord
ing to reports received here.
The team OF Turner and Pangborn
is regarded as one Of the strongest
this country will put into the yace.
Turner during the past week added to
his many laurels by establishing a
new transcontinental speed record to
win the Bendix Trophy and immedi-
ately afterward took first place in the
Thompson Trophy race. Turner'S
transcontinental dash, incidentally,
Is q world speed record for the
distance covered, his average speed
for the 2,520 miles being better than
$50 miles per hour. Pangborn, round
the-world flyer, Is hero Of the first
nonstop flight from Japan to the
Pacific Coast.
Wiley Post Is expected to fly the
race in his veteran Winnie Mae at
extremely high altitude, trusting to
q new engine and propeller combina-
ton to give him tremendous speed
In the thin air of the subStrato-
sphere. He will wear his now famous
high-altitude diving suit" and he'll
met, supercharging himself as well
as the engine of this airplane to coun-
teract the effects of lessened air
pressure.
Speed Prize $4,000.
The MacRobertson race is to be
divided into two sections. The first, a
speed race, is for o prize Of 10000
pounds sterling, or about $50, 900. The
speed racers will be required to make
stops at Baghdad Allahabad, Singa-
pore, Darwin and Charleville. Other
wise there are no restrictions. Night
flying and refueling in flight will be
permitted. The second is handicap
race, for which prizes total approx
mately $4,000.
British aeronautical experts are
picking Charles Kingsford-Smith to
win the speed event, with Sir Alan
Gotham second and Wiley Post third.
They concede that with Is Americans
entered and several of the foreign
pilots flying built machines,
there Is an excellent chance that an
American airplane may win. Kings
Smith will fly an American
Lockheed-Altair.
Familiarity with the route will no
doubt prove an important factor,"
commented c. G. Grey, internationally
known British aviation writer, 80
that British, Dutch and French
pilots will have an advantage other
things being equal. And Americans
who think that these lads can't fly,
or that their racing machines are in
ferior to our fast transports, are
likely to be surprised. There is a
lot of development in all European
countries that never gets In the pa
pers until something newer and bet
ter supplants it."
Dutch Use q. s. Plane.
The Royal Dutch Airlines will enter
an American airplane, one of the
new Douglas all-metal twin-engined
airliners, with its number-one pilot,
Parmentier, in command. Parmentier,
former Dutch army flyer, for several
years has flown regularly over the
9,000-mile Royal Dutch route between
Amsterdam and Java. Parmentier's
Douglas will go into service following
the MacRobertson as the first of a
feet of DouglaSes on the Dutch air
line system.
Fitzmaurice, who figured in the
first nonstop EastWest flight across
the Atlantic, also will fly an American
airplane. a new low-wing Bellanca,
especially built for him.
whatever the outcome" Grey has
pointed out, "the race is certain to
prove one of the most interesting
aeronautical events of decade, and
we need more international contests
of the same sort to stimulate develop
ment, rather than individual distance
and speed flights"
Flight Makes History.
An extraordinary flight of extreme
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