Reports of recent events, February 1952

Chappell Cup Trial (Jan. 13th)

In dry, overcast wintry conditions, the Bristol MC and LCC overcame its previous month’s “Fedden Fiasco” by putting on a seven-hill course of reasonable severity for its annual Chappell Cup Trial, held this year on a Sunday in the Shepton Mallet, area, thanks to the co-operation of the Shepton Mallet Club. Out of 19 entries, six failed to start, the remainder completing, the course. Gilbert Best tied with Wally Cuff, both losing no marks and Best taking the premier on special test time. 

Morgan wins MCC Championship

The Motor Cycling Club’s 1951 Championship has been awarded to the Morgan team, which made best performance in the Lands End and Exeter Trials and Edinburgh Rally last year. The team comprised the Morgan Plus Fours of Peter Morgan and Jim Goodall and the Morgaa 4/4 of CJ McCann.

Vintage aeroplanes at Denham

The Vintage Aeroplane Club courageously held its first meeting on January 19th-and the weather behaved. The venue was ideal, being the grass aerodrome at Denham kindly loaned by Dr J Myles Bickerton. The arrival contest was won by an Auster and soon an intriguing number of vintage aeroplanes had checked in. Great excitement greeted the arrival of the oldest—you should have seen Secretary Ogilvy’s face light up ! This was a beautifully rebuilt 1926 DH Cirrus Moth, which had come from Panshanger in 25-min flown by Wing-Comdr Pike. The next oldest was a 1930 DH Puss Moth. A young gentleman in “bell-bottoms” came in a Salmson-engined RA Swallow. Hawker’s sent their 1931 Hart II and Tomtit over from Langley, the former throttled back to keep pace with its companion, these fine old aeroplanes being accompanied by Hawker’s Miles Whitney Straight. There were two Aeronca-JAPs, a very healthy sounding red one from Farnborough and a temperamental blue one in which a brave lady in her 80th year took her first flight, presumably no one had told her ! Some Miles Hawk Trainers, a Gemini and two Tipsy Trainers made up the field, these presumably being regarded as “post-vintage thoroughbreds” ! Actually, the Club has decided to regard as vintage all pre-war types, together with those of the same type built during and since the war.

After lunch the competitions commenced, ably conducted by DF Ogilvy, Capt RE Gillman, BJ Snook and D Wright. The passage overhead of airliners on their lawful occasions took on a real Jules Verne aspect; mercifully, we were spared any jets. The Cirrus Moth was skilfully side-slipped in to win the spot-landing contest, PJ Coulbourne’s Aeronca (the red one) won a bomb the Lagonda competition, the bomb-aimer being a young lady who volunteered to go as passenger, and the blue Aerona, the BA Swallow and the Tipsy took part in a slow-flying race which was a neck-and-neck affair between the latter two, the Tipsy just in the rear. These events were punctuated by a stirring fIy-past and some polished aerobatics by Sqd-Ldr Neville Duke in the Hart and Tomtit and very exciting upside-down flying and aerobatics by CA Nepean Bishop in a Miles Hawk Trainer III. After a fly-past of vintage types the meeting terminated until a resumption of flying on the Sunday. Just as Pike was about to take-off in the Cirrus Moth the oil-gauge pipe broke, but it was soon plugged with a 3/16 in bolt, and the oldest aeroplane present left successfully for home in the fading light. Many VSCC members and an enthusiast who came on a belt-drive 1919 Triumph two-stroke enjoyed this initial meeting. We predict a successful future for the which is planning another meeting in May at White Waltham. WB.