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75th Anniversary of the MacRobertson London to Melbourne.

Yep and the Northrup that Jackie Cochrane was originally going to fly in the race before she crashed it. No mention of the Gee Bee she did fly in the MacRobertson.

Speaking of the Gee Bee R-6, I've been doing some practicing with it lately....
 
I was reading the original rules of the MacRobertson race and saw something interesting: as part of the requirements each plane was required to carry floats (as well as 3 days rations for each crewmember), How/where does one carry floats for the DC2 ??

The basic rules were: no limit to the size of aircraft or power, no limit to crew size, no pilot to join aircraft after it left England. Aircraft must carry three days' rations per crew member, floats, smoke signals and efficient instruments.
Click to expand...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacRobertson_Air_Race
 
Well I have seen pictures of DC-3's on floats in the water. Weird looking.

The Brits wrote the rules and you know how the mangle the language. It could have been life preservers, or inflatable rafts. Just some kind of flotation devices. There are rules similar for when you fly your GA aircraft to places like The Bahamas in today's world.

Heck, almost none of us meet the current requirements for long distance flights in central and west Australia about water, rations, emergency shelter, etc.
 
Nice. I finally got ahold of a Fairey Fox model, but won't have it converted/built by race time. I'll prolly shop it around and see if one of the 'pro' builders want to tackle it. It's an awesome plane and am surprised it hasn't been built as a freeware project yet, and I really don't want it to be another one of my unfinished projects- it's deserves better.
 
Mr. Ito's DH.86 "Express" is just crying for an accurate FM. Not the fastest ship, but sure is stylish. Four engines to keep you safe over the mysterious Timor Sea!
 
Not sure if this one would be legal, but I've been thinking our own Put-Put's Northrop Gamma would be a force to be reckoned with in the race. When I originally came across it I thought the airfile was too hot but according to a few sources it might not be hot enough. After some thought I left the horsepower at 700 because I felt that 785hp at 2500rpm would in real life make for a very finicky high maintenence engine. Still makes for a pretty fast ship (cruises at 200mph IAS).
Here's what I've done so far:
My FS2004 Gamma:
Original built by Paul 'Put Put' Clawson
First panel/vc fix by Bob Ciclio
Texture mods: BananaBob Prop from AlphaSim Blenheim
Sound: Lawdog's F4F Wildcat sounds
Panel: added Sperry Autopilot in separate window
cfg file: modified engine data to reflect more realistically Wright R-1510 Whirlwind 14 (14 cylinders instead of 7). added differential braking and decreased the brakes' general touchiness
It only has 170 gallons fuel in her; I'm pretty sure that when Frank Hawks did the transcontinental record there were a couple extra tanks but couldn't find out just how much. I'm still looking though.:kilroy: Screenies are file pics you get with the plane.
 
Hi Drzook,

The Gamma is surely a competitor. It is of great historic interest and will be a very welcome addition to the roster. Delighted to see your interest.

One thing to note is that the rules prohibit "improving" the aircraft. The normal standard is that you may work on the instrumentation and paint job, but not the flight model in any way. This rule is in place for obvious reasons having to do with the competition.

However, we are eager to encourage good work. When you design a more accurate flight model and share it with everyone, then you will be making a contribution to the community. Excellent!

You want to submit such changes at least two weeks before the start of the race so the Organizing Committee can make a judgment about eligibility. (Documentation of the actual aircraft's characteristics and then your alterations--and your test data confirming your successful changes--would be evidence for acceptance.) We shall be glad to work with you to make the experience a positive one for everyone concerned.

The lead time will also allow other participants to use your aircraft as their own ride. All aircraft models must be publicly available--again for obvious competitive reasons.

Your work looks terrific so far. Look forward to further developments.

Best,
Mike MacKuen
 
Jomsom you say ??
NO WAY I say, 20k feet is too hard to get, and I aint givin it up for that grass strip, not in these mountains.
 
It's a special kinda insanity that makes me take that beast into the himalayas, but ya, shes a glorious 'beast', handles like a truck but I'm quite fond of her.
 
Just an update. The rules are near completion and just need a hair more tweaking.
 
Well I got busted testing the FM and was asked about the model, here's a pic of the Fairey Fox Mk3 I'm trying desperately to get ready for the race. Still no textures, no cockpit of any kind, and no animations, but I figure to have a decent FM by this weekend (or so is the plan).
 
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