The Guggenheim Air Safety Competition, 1929 скачать в хорошем качестве

The Guggenheim Air Safety Competition, 1929

The Daniel Guggenheim Foundation for the Promotion of Aeronautics was formed in 1926. Its purpose was to promote air safety and commercial aviation. It funded a number of aeronautics departments at colleges and universities, lent financial assistance to early commercial airlines and organized the Guggenheim Air Safety Competition. While Daniel Guggenheim (1856-1930), who made his fortune in the mining business, funded the Foundation, his son Harry F. Guggenheim (1890-1971) was the active party. He had been a Navy flyer in WWI and was the president of the Fund. The competition was undoubtedly his idea. With a grand prize of $100,000 (equivalent to $1,500,000 today), the competition got worldwide attention. In May 1927, just a month after Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic, the Foundation announced the requirements for the competition. These requirements emphasized short takeoffs and landings in addition to stability under various flight conditions. One requirement was to be able go from a standing start to takeoff in 300 feet of runway, then clear a 35-foot-high obstacle 500 feet from the starting point. Another was that the plane remain stable for five minutes without the pilot touching the controls. At the time the requirements were announced, many thought they would be impossible to meet. But by 1929, the Foundation had received 27 entry applications. Of the original 27, only 15 entrants brought planes to Mitchel Field in Long Island, New York, to compete. One by one, they were eliminated when they proved unable to meet one or more of the requirements. The last two planes left were the Handley Page “Gugnunc” and the Curtiss Tanager. The most difficult requirement turned out to be an engine-off glide of at least three minutes at an airspeed of no more than 38mph. The Handley Page could do no better than 39.7mph, leaving the Curtiss as the winner. Even before the competition ended, Handley Page claimed that Curtiss had stolen its patented slotted wing design and sued. Curtiss counter-sued. The suits had no effect on the competition, said the Foundation, since the planes were experimental, not commercial. At least one of the planes in the competition still survives. The Handley Page was preserved and is now on display at the Science Museum in London, England. The Curtiss was unfortunately destroyed in a fire just six months after the end of the competition. Here is a summary of the scenes in this video: 00:29 Harry Guggenheim talks about the requirements and the goals in the contest. Behind him can be seen two of the entrants: The Handley Page and the Brunner Winkle. 02:00 By the opening day of the competition, only one plane, the Brunner Winkle, had appeared. Col. Lindbergh, who was one of the competition judges, took it up for a brief flight. 07:12 Frederick Handley Page (1885-1962) explains some of the features of his plane, particularly the slotted wing that gives it additional lift at low speeds. 11:14 Maj. Rudolph W. Schroeder (1886-1952) was a WWI pilot and at one time held the world’s air altitude record. Here, he introduces his unique plane design. It did rather well in the competition, but had to withdraw when it was damaged. 14:12 The most unique plane in the competition was the Burnelli GX-3. Designed by Vincent Burnelli (1895-1964), it was another of his twin-prop lifting-body designs. (For other examples of his work, see    • Odd Ducks, Vol. III: Unusual and Unique Ai...   and    • Odd Ducks: Unusual Aircraft from the Movie...   ) 18:56 Theodore P. Wright introduces the winning plane, the Curtiss Tanager. It then goes on a demonstration flight. 21:40 The results of the competition were announced on January 2, 1930, and the formal presentation was held four days later. At that time, the Tanager gave a demonstration of its formidable takeoff and landing capabilities. Emory S. Land, the vice-president of the Guggenheim Fund, presents the $100,000 check in Harry Guggenheim’s absence—he had been appointed ambassador to Cuba earlier in the year. 28:10 Some bonus footage: Harry Guggenheim gives some advice to the general public about how to choose a safe airline. While there were 15 airplanes in the competition (plus a sixteenth from Europe that arrived too late to participate), the Movietone archives at the MIRC only contains footage of the five shown here. Among the missing is the “Doodlebug,” designed and flown by James S. McDonnell, founder of McDonnell Aircraft. It was eliminated early after the plane was damaged in a spectacular accident. In the middle of a power dive with McDonnell piloting, the stabilizers collapsed around the rudder, leaving McDonnell with no longitudinal control. The plane did most of an outside loop, and McDonnell appeared about to bail out, but he was able to regain control and land safely. The damage to the plane could not be repaired in time, though, and it had to withdraw from the competition.