THIS YEAR'S KING'S CUP

THIS YEAR’S KING’S CUP NEW RULES 1,250 MILES COURSE TO BE FLOWN IN JULY

THE preliminary announcement, which has been made recently by the Royal Aero Club, in regard to the King’s Cup Race reveals the fact that the regulations, which were put into force last year have been abandoned, and new rules have been drawn up.

It will be recalled that those for the 1931 event were so framed as to bar the trade from entry, while another rule banned the professional pilot, though ambiguously, R.A.F. pilots were allowed to compete.

Quite naturally, a great deal of dissatisfaction was expressed over these regulations.

In this year’s race, however, any pilot will be allowed to compete, the only conditions being that he (or she) must have flown solo for at least 100 hours, and that he (or she) must be a British subject.

The race is open to any type of bona fide civil aircraft, but the entire machine and engine must be constructed in the British Empire.

For the purposes of the race, a bona fide civil aircraft is one which was originally designed and constructed for use in civil aviation activities. One good point is that any dual control must be disconnected during the race, if a passenger is being carried ; presumably, this is to prevent the ludicrous situation which has arisen on previous occasions, of inexperienced and incompetent ownerpilots taking the credit for flying in the race when in point of fact, the if

passenger” has controlled and navigated the craft—the ” passenger ” being, obviously, a paid professional.

The course, it is announced will be approximately 1,250 miles, divided into two sections. The first section will be about 750 miles and will start and finish at a London aerodrome ; the second section will be 500 miles, and the event will occupy two consecutive days. The competing machines will be

handicapped for the whole 1,250 miles of the course, according to estimated performances, and a proportion of the total handicap will be allotted to each section. The minimum speed at which the aircraft will be handicapped will be 110 m.p.h.

The fifty competitors making the best handicap performance in the first section will be allowed to continue in the race, and the remainder will be eliminated.

This is another good feature of the 1932 rules, since it will do away with the crowding of machines at controls near the end of the race, which has made matters extremely difficult for timekeepers and other officials when the entry has been very large in previous King’s Cup races.

So far, the Royal Aero Club have not decided upon the exact date for the race, but it will be early in July.

The entry fee is £10 and this must be paid to the club by intending competitors not later than 1st April, 1932.