MacRobertson Air Race
The MacRobertson air race (Victorian Centenary Air Race ) was held from 20 October to 5 November 1934 by England ( Mildenhall in Cambridge) to Australia (Melbourne ) instead. The occasion was the 100th anniversary of the Australian state of Victoria and its capital Melbourne. Namesake and sponsor of the race was Sir Macpherson Robertson (1859-1945), owner of MacRobertson 's chocolate factory, which provided a sum of U.S. $ 75 000 available. The race, over a base distance 18,200 km. The Royal Aero Club led by the race. A total of 27 points for the recording of supplies were furnished. These were provided by Shell available. For the race, partially airfields had to be removed. There were also places to stay at the support points.
Two groups were admitted. Once this was the group for the speed race, the winner was, who first arrived in Melbourne. In addition, there was a handicap group, which had 16 days, travel the distance, and the winner was the one who had the slightest actual flying time on the basis of handicap calculation.
The planes were not subject to restriction, but was not allowed to be exchanged, the crew outside England. However, it had an airworthiness certificate of the respective country of production are available, as proof that the machine met the minimum safety requirements of the International Convention of Air Navigation ( ICAN ). In addition, per crew member had an iron rations for three days on board and be just as rescue and signal means and adequate instrumentation.
Route
In addition to the start and destination airfields of Baghdad, Allahabad, Singapore, Darwin and Charleville were provided as control points. Additional places for stopovers included Marseille, Rome, Athens, Bucharest, Aleppo, Bushire, Alor Star, Karachi, Hyderabad, Calcutta, Rangoon, Rambang (Sumatra ), Batavia ( now Jakarta ), Bali, Kupang ( Timor), Newcastle Waters Cloncurry and Narrowmine.
Participant
For this race some special machines were created in England, the De Havilland DH88 Comet, which was attended by the three in the race, and the Airspeed AS 8 Viceroy. To favorites also Pander belonged S4 Panderjager with the aces Geysendorffer, Asjes and Pronk. With Roscoe Turner's Boeing 247 Warner Bros. Comet and the Douglas DC-2 Uiver the Dutch airline KLM also has two passenger planes in the race took part.
Among the best known names of the field also scored the couple Jim and Amy Mollison, and the Comet Black Magic, who had both solo and together provided a number of flying records. They were known as the "Flying Sweethearts " ( flying lovers). , Roelof January Domenie, the passenger Uiver mentioned, however, that the two were unpopular. This may perhaps have been due to the strong ambition of the British; For details, but does not explain Domenie.
Among the participants, only three women were: the later as " the world's fastest woman " known Jacqueline Cochran had with her Granville R -6H QED Place near Bucharest after a crash landing. The Briton Amy Johnson Mollison who was forced to retire with her husband, Jim Mollison also on the road, as well as the German Thea Rasche, which decreed for lack of funds does not have a plane and therefore mitflog as the passenger Uiver.
First 64 machines were reported, which were reduced to the start day of 20 October 1934 on 20 machines. Among them was the Irishman James F. Fitzmaurice, who had overcharged his Bellanca and was not willing to reduce his starting weight by carrying a smaller amount of fuel. So he was excluded only a few hours before the race.
A detailed list of participants can be found in the final classification.
Race course
First race day
About 60 000 people watched the launch in RAF Mildenhall. The aircraft were in two rows, and the originally scheduled for 6.30 clock start had to be postponed several times. Reason for this was not only the mass of spectators who still cavorted on the airfield, but also a stowaway who sneaked into the DC-2. The aircraft took off at intervals of 45 seconds to signal the Mayor of London Sir Alfred Bower.
The first aircraft to the Blackmagic launched. The Uiver started as a seventh machine. The Comets took immediately set course for Baghdad who flew Boeing 247 and the Dutch Panderjager to Athens, the crew of the DC-2 Uiver opted for Rome, Jackie Cochran QED flew to Bucharest. The Baby Ruth headed for Marseille, but managed due to fuel problems just to Lyon and reached Rome in the evening. All the other machines chose Marseille or Rome as the first stop.
On the first day there were the first casualties: the QED did not, due to various technical problems over Bucharest, specially designed for the race Airspeed Viceroy managed only to Athens. In addition, a group of six favorites became clear: It was the three Comets, the Dutch aircraft Panderjager and Uiver as well as the Boeing 247 by Roscoe Turner.
In Baghdad, the Comet Black Magic was in the lead with a small head start on the Comet Grosvenor House. At the positions 3 and 4, the Panderjager and Uiver were all started at the end of the first day of racing in the direction of Allahabad.
Second race day
On the morning of October 21 the Babe Ruth started with a large residue of the leading machines from Rome to Athens. Shortly after the tragic incident happened in the race: HD Gilman and JK Baines unlucky with their Fairey Fox near Palazzo San Gervasio, Italy. It should remain the only deaths during the race. A second accident on the same day, in which the Lockheed Vega Puck rolled in Aleppo, was mild for the pilots.
Meanwhile, put the Black Magic set a new record for flights from England to India, as they (now Pakistan ) reached Karachi. However, shortly after the re- start the Mollisons noticed that her running gear did not retract. So they were forced to return to Karachi.
The Grosvenor House and the Uiver took advantage of this and overtook the Black Magic in Karachi, while the " Panderjager " was damaged on landing and only after lengthy repairs could rejoin the race. The third Comet, the green G- ACSR, had technical problems during landing in Karachi. Your made to create an oil leak.
The Grosvenor House reached first Allahabad and quickly flew back in the direction of Singapore. The intermediate landing of Uiver went smoothly, the Dutch then took courses at Calcutta. Roscoe Turner pushed himself with his Boeing 247 due to the incident at No. 3 before, but had problems due to bad weather on approach to Allahabad, where they were for a time as missing. The Black Magic reached Allahabad late, after carried out from lack of fuel an unplanned stopover in Jobbolpore (India). Since there was no jet fuel available, they avoided on diesel fuel. Having already appeared problems in flight, provided the Mollisons in Allahabad determined that the engine was damaged beyond repair, and gave the race there on. The Panderjager and the green Comet reached Allahabad late. During the stay of the Comet went smoothly this time, the Panderjager was destroyed on landing. At the end of the second day of racing the Grosvenor House reached, after problems with strong winds, secure the airfield of Singapore and was on his way to Darwin in Australia. The runner- DC-2 was on the way from Calcutta to Rangoon. On 3rd and 4 followed by the Boeing 247 and the second Comet.
Third day of racing
At the start of the third racing day, the Grosvenor House Darwin reached with an oil leak. There, the machine was barely repaired. A little later, in Charleville (Queensland ), had between land again to let make further repairs to the engine, the Comet. Nevertheless, the Grosvenor House reached at the end of the third day of racing after 71 hours, 0 minutes and 23 seconds the first plane to the destination in Melbourne.
The Uiver reached Singapore with 8 hours behind the Grosvenor House, but still had the hope to reduce the gap due to the short turnaround time of less than 30 minutes. Your ahead of the Boeing 247 also amounted to about 8 hours. Only 200 miles of Melbourne flew the DC-2 in a bad storm and was forced to make an emergency landing. After hours of community and the search for a suitable landing site (at this time it was at night in Australia) heard the inhabitants of the small town of Albury, the engine noise of the Uiver. The population illuminated a field with their car headlights, and so was the DC-2 land on the improvised field. At this time, hundreds of people were in front of the main building - KLM in the Netherlands and waited for the news that the Uiver had landed safely. Also a prompt from KLM President Albert Plesman to go home, the masses did not stop them from, in the pouring rain on a sign of life "their" waiting DC-2. The captain of the DC-2, Koene Dirk Parmentier, decided to fly on only during the day.
However, Roscoe Turner could not take advantage of it. The Boeing 247 was also forced to make an emergency landing due to technical problems. Oil dripping on a hot metal part in the engine cowling. Turner asked by telegraph for permission to be allowed to fly without disguise, and got this, but on the condition that he had to transport the panel as ballast. However, the crew decided to continue flying with the smoking engine, but to overtake in the hope that the Dutch continue.
Fourth race day
The morning after the Uiver was dependent again on the help of the residents of Albury. Through the rain, the DC-2 was lost with the landing gear in the mud. Hundreds of people helped to free the machine. With wooden planks a reasonably solid ground was laid for the start. This makes the machine could start safely, it was decided to make every gram of unnecessary weight in Albury. This included the Post, the freight, luggage, parts of the interior, passengers and even flight engineer and radio operator Prins van Brugge. The " Uiver " lifted safely in the direction of Melbourne and 58 minutes later reached the goal. With 90 hours and 13 minutes, the DC-2 reached a second aircraft Melbourne. Here, the DC-2 helped not only the fact that they reached only one of the favorite group without any technical problems the goal. The short ground times were the trump cards of the heavily loaded machine. Such was the familiar phrase " OK, gentlemen, back on board " for the passengers the sign by most only 30 minutes to rise again back into the aircraft. The flight time of Uiver was 81 hours, 10 minutes and 36 seconds.
The last hope for Roscoe Turner, but to overtake the Dutch still fell through, as the smoking engines, the Boeing again forced to land. 2 hours and 42 minutes after the DC-2 reached the Boeing the target.
On the fifth day of the race the green Comet landed in Melbourne in the next 10 days reached five other machines their goal. Two other aircraft reached Melbourne about a month after start of the race, but were not counted.
Final classification
G- ACSS Grosvenor House
Great Britain
PH- AJU Uiver
Netherlands
NR257Y Warner Bros. Comet
USA
G- ACSR
Great Britain
ZK- ADJ
New Zealand
Fastest single-engine
G- ACJL
Great Britain
VH - UQO My Hildegarde
Australia
Second winner in a handicap race
OY - DOD
Denmark
ZK- ACO
New Zealand
G- ACTM
Great Britain
G- AABY
Great Britain
G- ACXO
Australia
NC501W Baby Ruth
USA
G- ACSP Black Magic
Great Britain
PH -OST Panderjager
Netherlands
G- ACVU
Great Britain
G- ABGK Puck
Australia
G- ACMU
Great Britain
NX14307 Q.E.D.
USA
G- ACxx
Great Britain
The speed race decided the DH 88 Comet Grosvenor House, with the Pilots Scott and Campbell Black in a time of 71 hours 0 min 18 sec for themselves. The DC-2 would have it finished second in the speed race, but refrained from this because Parmentier had flown foul after an emergency landing in the second half of the last stage without live load and passengers and only with co-pilot. Other sources, however, report that the crew of the Uiver had to give up second place in the speed race, as only one price (either in speed or race in handicap races) could be claimed. Parmentier is said to have then opted for the victory in the handicap standings.
The Uiver was winner of the handicap race, the second place in this ranking was won by the Australian DeHavilland Puss Moth My Hildegarde that reached the target after 10 days and 16 hours.
The pilots Harold D. Gilman and James K. Baines from the UK paid the race with her life when she died in an accident with their Fairey Fox I in Italy.
The aircraft today
The Grosvenor House toured after the success for a time in Australia before she flew back to England. It was a long time in a museum before it was made airworthy again. Today, she is a welcome guest at air shows and classic car shows.
The Black Magic was after 1937 as lost until she showed up in a barn in Portugal in 1979. It is a restoration project today.
The Douglas DC -2 and the Boeing 247 sent a clear signal for civil aviation. With their success the era of all-metal aircraft was finally dawned. The Uiver a time was traveling in Europe before it was reinstated on the Amsterdam - Batavia. She rushed nor in December 1934 from on one of these flights. An originally the Royal Australian Air Force owned DC - 2 carries the colors of the Uiver today and is owned by the museum Aviodrome in Lelystad, the Netherlands. It is the last airworthy DC-2 in the world.
The Boeing 247 now hangs in the National Air And Space Museum of the United States. The Q.E.D. is displayed in a museum, but in Mexico.
The Baby Ruth, is similar to the Black Magic, a dormant restoration project.
See also
History of Aviation in Australia