The Races (Cont'd)

When "Jimmy" Doolittle, a stubby, sturdy pilot in a stubby, sturdy ship, tore around the course at the National Air Races in Cleveland last week at 296 m.p.h. he made a new world speed record for landplanes.

His feat threw into relief a curious combination of facts: Nine years ago the Schneider Trophy for seaplanes was won at 177 m.p.h. That year Capt. "Al" Williams flew a landplane 266 m.p.h. and the next year a Frenchman flew one 278 m.p.h. The Frenchman's speed remained the world record until last week when it was bettered by only 18 m.p.h. Meanwhile, since 1923, seaplane speeds have been upped 40, 50, 60 m.p.h. from year to year. Last year Britain's Lieut. Stainforth flew 406 m.p.h.

An explanation of this disparity lies in the Schneider Trophy which stimulated various governments (with the exception of the U. S. since 1926) to develop seaplane engines adapted to racing. These are cylinder-in-line machines of 2,600 h. p., perfectly streamlined. Such an engine may have a life of only one hour at top speed. Builders of landplanes, particularly in the U. S., have clung to radial engines of a few-hundred horsepower which, while they offer much more head resistance, are generally preferred for commercial and military flying. Such engines can fly great distances. Some observers believe that with more powerful radial engines, the advantage of retractable landing gear will enable landplanes to fly faster than seaplanes, which cannot retract their floats. But there must be landing fields a mile-and-a-half or two miles long, since a plane which flies 400 m.p.h. lands at about no m.p.h.

Now that the Schneider races have been discontinued, the Thompson Trophy, held in connection with the National Air Races, assumes importance as the world's foremost air speed contest. The event was the climax of last fortnight's meet at Cleveland. Eight swift planes started, among them Doolittle in the chunky, barrel-like Gee-Bee racer with an 800-h. p. Wasp in its fat nose, and the pilot's cockpit far back amid the fanlike tail surfaces. Another starter was minuscule "Jimmy" Haizlip who broke the transcontinental record last fortnight. Before the end of the race Doolittle, his eyes watery with hay fever, had lapped every opponent save one. His top speed was well over 300 m.p.h., but his average was only 255 m.p.h.

It was during the qualifying heats for the Thompson race that Doolittle broke the record, after failing to do so on two consecutive days. The first day he flashed back & forth four times over the 3-kilo-metre course he was clocked at an average of 293 m.p.h. Then it was discovered that someone had neglected to install in his plane a barograph, necessary for official recognition of his flight. Next day he had the barograph but a quartering wind slowed him to 282 m.p,h.--.77 less than the necessary margin over the old record. On that day spectators feared he was about to crash into treetops at the north end of the field. Scoffed Doolittle afterward: "I was nowhere near them. I must have been at least four feet over them." Once again he rocketed back & forth, this time endangered by splashing oil which smeared his windhood. His fastest lap was 309 m.p.h. Said he: "I left five miles more in her for 'Russ' Boardman. He can shoot the record up to more than 300. . . ."

Women pilots had fought bitterly and won the right to enter every race this year except the Thompson Trophy. Having the privilege, they did nothing with it, flew in no events until the Amelia Earhart Trophy Race for the George Palmer Putnam Cup, for women exclusively, was reached. This race aroused much mirth among men pilots, caused much confusion to officials. The six starters were supposed to race 21 mi. around a 3 1/2 mi. course. The first to start headed properly for the checkered turning pylon, then somehow got another idea and wandered off across country. Others mistook smokestacks for pylons, some found themselves on the 5-mile and 10-mile courses. One zoomed far aloft, another popped up from behind a grandstand. The only one to fly the prescribed route, Miss Florence Klingensmith, was timed at 59 m.p.h., made two extra laps before officials could signal her down.

Later, however, more seasoned women pilots flew an admirable race in a driving storm for the Aerol Trophy. Rain & darkness blinded them so they could not see the flags on the pylons signalling them down. Mrs. Gladys O'Donnell, in the cockpit of pugnacious "Benny" Howard's little racer Ike, won at 185 m.p.h. Next day Mrs. Mae Haizlip, wife of "Jimmy" Haizlip, in her husband's ship, flashed past the timing cameras at 255 m.p.h., 45 m.p.h. faster than the women's record, just as fast as Doolittle in the Thompson race.

After a week unmarred by serious mishap, two crashes occurred on successive clays. The first involved two planes fighting for the lead at a pylon in a Sportsman Pilot race. William A. Warrick made a wide turn; close at his tailskid, Paul Bloom cut inside him at the pylon, raced for the lead. As both dived to gain speed they collided, crashed. Grinning as rescuers pried them loose from the wreckage, both men were expected to survive. Next day "Al" Wilson, movie stunt flyer, was about to land his 1910 Curtiss "pusher" near an autogiro. The two craft had been entertaining the crowd every day with a mock dogfight. Wilson's ancient plane either fouled the whirling rotors of the 'giro or was sucked down into the rotors' vortex. Wilson died of his injuries. Pilot John Miller of the 'giro was not hurt.

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