Aviation History - March 2016 USA

March 2016 AH 53

ter Gamecocks. As a Sopwith Camel pilot in World War I, he
had scored 11 victories. It was originally intended that the pair
should team up for a long-distance record attempt to Cape
Town or Bangalore, in southern India. But after a 24-hour test
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possibly twice that duration, he was replaced by Flt. Lt. Norman
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achieved by Italians Arturo Ferrarin and Carlo del Prete over
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ruled out due to persistently bad weather in central Africa.
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and more snow an hour later. By midnight they had climbed to
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they were over Constantinople (Istanbul). Heading southeast to
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however, strong headwinds had reduced their groundspeed to
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stints at the controls, later reduced to two hours as fatigue took
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builds. The smaller Jenkins had trouble reaching the controls,
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the seat back far enough for his longer legs. As a result, neither
man was ever really comfortable in the pilot’s seat.
They were well down the Persian Gulf by half past midnight

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wind that reduced their

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stayed virtually unchanged

until they arrived over Kara-

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course for Bangalore. At that

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By now the local time was

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terrain around the Western

Ghats mountain range, this

could well have meant a forced

landing in the dark, probably

in swampy country and with

possibly dire consequences.

So they reluctantly turned

back, landing at Karachi at

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Williams and Jenkins’ valiant

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of the world long-distance

record, but they had made

the first nonstop flight from

England to India. After a well-

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back to England in leisurely

stages, arriving at Cranwell

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London’s Olympia.

Eventually a decision was

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modified to include a rede-

signed fin and rudder and

a radio transmitter, should

make another attempt on the

THE LRM HAD

COVERED 4,130

MILES IN 50 HOURS

AND 38 MINUTES....

THE FIRST NONSTOP

FLIGHT FROM

ENGLAND TO INDIA.

READY FOR ANOTHER TRY
The second LRM, K1991,
makes a trial flight at Cranwell
on October 22, 1931.