12 August, 2010 16:21

THE CAPECHALLENGE. A SHORT HISTORY.

Part 4. Chasing the Mew Gull, Racing the Osprey

“I WOULD CHALLENGE ANY PILOT IN THE WORLD TO FLY ANY AIRCRAFT WITH NO MORE THAN 200 HP TO THE CAPE AND BACK IN LESS TIME THAN DID XF IN 1939”.

‘The Flight of the Mew Gull’. P. 290

Here is the exact challenge, issued by Alex Henshaw in his 1980 account of the record-breaking flight. Alex was by then 68 years old. Two years earlier his beloved Mew Gull G-AEXF had taken to the skies again, rescued from certain destruction and painstakingly re-built over a six year period by Tom Storey. At the aircraft’s re-birth at Old Warden on 24th June, 1978, Alex, accompanied by his engineer, Jack Cross, and his old opponent, Charles Gardner, watched the Mew fly again in the hands of Brian Smith. Two years later he issued the above challenge.

“Any pilot” – note that it must be a solo flight.

“Any aircraft with no more than 200 hp” – doesn’t necessarily limit the aircraft to a single engine. It is interesting to note that the Mew Gull in its Cape configuration was fitted with a de Havilland Gipsy Six Series II engine which nominally had 205 horse power.

“to the Cape and back” – I wonder whether Alex ever contemplated the flight being made in the opposite direction?

“in less time than did XF in 1939” – clearly the time from initial take-off to final landing.

Alex’s three main records, as recorded by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), were as follows:-

1. London – Cape Town. 39 hours, 23 minutes.

2 Cape Town – London. 39 hours, 36 minutes.

3 London – Cape Town – London return. 4 days, 10 hours, 16 minutes.

Chalkie Stobbart’s flights beat the first two of Alex’s and established a new round trip record:-

1. Cape Town – London. 36 hours, 35 minutes.

2 London – Cape Town. 36 hours, 15 minutes.

3 Cape Town – London – Cape Town. 3 days, 15 hours, 17 minutes.

Both Chalkie and Steve have accepted Alex’s limiting horse power as an essential ingredient of the flight although the FAI classifications take no account of horse power. So the FAI records could be challenged by an aircraft with considerably more horse power provided it remains within the weight limitation; it can even, theoretically, have a crew of two!

So how does Steve Noujaim’s attempt match up to Alex’s challenge and what are his chances?

His home-built RV7 is fitted with a 4 cylinder Lycoming IO-360 of 197 hp and he is flying solo. No other qualifying criteria apply so far as the Challenge goes. From the FAI’s point-of-view his flight will qualify for the C1-b class that is, aircraft with a maximum all up weight less than 1,000kg.

Steve’s RV7 has an airspeed which varies considerably with weight, but based on an average speed of 170 knots his airspeed would seem to be some 7 knots slower than Chalkie’s and 11 knots slower than Alex’s. Consequently his only methods of beating the records are to reduce the distance by flying in a straighter line; to make fewer stops; to fly at levels which will pick up any tail winds; to coach a few extra knots from his machine and to reduce the times on the ground. Considerable planning has been taking place to achieve reductions in all these areas. Here are the comparisons between Alex’s and Chalkie’s flights which show what Steve must beat!

THE CAPERECORDS

Comparisons between Henshaw and Stobbart.

HENSHAW STOBBART

Distance (nautical miles) 11,083 10,488

Average speed (knots) 180.7 176.7

Flying time (hours and minutes) 61.19 59.22

Time on ground en route (hours and minutes) 17.40 13.28

Turn-round time (hours and minutes) 27.17 14.27

Total time on ground (hours and minutes) 44.57 27.55

Total time (days, hours, minutes) 4d.10h.16m 3d.15h.17m

Is that all? Well, not quite. Here are some of the man-traps waiting for Steve over Africa.

– Navigation, which Henshaw had to deal with using only a magnetic compass, a stop watch and a map has in the last 70 years been revolutionised. But modern satellite dependent systems with EFIS screens allow Air Traffic to demand navigational accuracy that would be unattainable using Henshaw’s techniques.

-Weather will play a large part in the success or failure of the flight. Head-winds, tropical thunderstorms, fog, icing, sand-storms and torrential rain will all affect the flight……

– Technical problems will have to be dealt with. These can range from unserviceability of the aircraft, the engine and the avionics to unserviceability of ground systems en route……….

– Fuel must not only be available as planned but pure and of the correct quality……………

– Air Traffic Control along the whole route must be relied upon to give Steve expeditious clearances for his chosen routing…………………

– Ground staff, immigration and medical authorities in Britain, Algeria, Congo and South Africa must be relied upon not to present unforeseen reasons for delay…………………

– Fatigue. Steve’s ability to cope with the long flying periods, combined with his ability to take power naps on the ground will be of critical importance………

– And he will need Luck!

MCB

12.08.10