THE ROYAL AIR FORCE
THE ROYAL AIR FORCE |
The long-distance record, over a closed circuit, but recently established by Bossoutrot and Rossi, has once again changed hands, the French pilots Paillard and Mermoz having bettered the previous record by 200 miles. A new long distance record for a continuous flight over a closed circuit was again established last week by the French pilots Antoine Paillard and Jean Mermoz. Flying a new Bernard 80 G.R., a low wing monplane known as the "Tango," equipped with a 650 h.p. water-cooled Hispano-Suiza motor, the airmen took off from the La Senia (Oran) aerodrome, French North Africa, at 6.35 o'clock Monday evening, March 30 last. They flew over a closed course, encircling around Oran for 59 hours and 16 minutes at an average speed of 153 kilometres (95 miles) per hour and landed again at Oran at 5.44 o'clock Thursday morning, having covered, subject to verification, 9,145 kms. (5,682.7 miles). The existing record, which was established only on March 1-3 last, by Bossoutrot and Rossi in their Bleriot 110 plane, comprised 8,822 kms. (5,482 miles) which they flew in 75 hours 22 minutes and was described in the March 13 number of FLIGHT. Paillard and Mermoz thus covered 323 kms. (200 miles) more than the previous record holders and in 16 hours 16 minutes less time. ..... |
fitted with a 650 h.p. Hispano-Suiza engine. 
|