Challenge 1934

The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest ( _fr. Challenge International de Tourisme), that took place between August 28 and September 16 1934 in Warsaw, Poland. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe. The 1934 Challenge was won by the Polish pilots, who had also won the previous year.

Overview

Poland and the Polish Aero Club organized the contest, because a Polish pilot Franciszek Żwirko won the previous Challenge in 1932. In June 1933 the contest rules were announced. Like the previous contest, it consisted of three parts: technical trials, a rally over Europe and a maximum speed trial, but their details changed. Since one of the aims of the Challenges was to stimulate progress in tourist aircraft development, this time a stress in grading scale was put upon aircraft performance and quality, however pilots' skills remained crucial.

The opening ceremony was held on August 28 1934 at noon at Mokotowskie field in Warsaw (the Italian team was late by two hours due to weather and arrived during the ceremony). During an air show, a Polish fighter PZL P.7a performing aerobatics crashed, but the pilot survived with injuries.

The number of crews and aircraft that eventually took part in the 1934 Challenge was smaller - 34 compared to 43 in 1932 Challenge, because the contest was getting more difficult with time. The aircraft flew with two-man crews (pilot and mechanic). Teams from only four countries entered the Challenge in 1934: Poland (12 crews), Germany (13 crews), Italy (6 crews) and Czechoslovakia (3 crews). The British aviator Walter MacPherson entered the contest in the Polish team. The French team of eight crews resigned from the contest, because a development of the new plane Caudron C.500 had not finished in time and its weight was too big. The first prize in the Challenge was 100,000 French franc, the second - 40,000 FRF, the third 20,000 FRF, the fourth - 10,000 FRF, 15 other crews would get 6,000 FRF.

Aircraft

The Challenge was to be a contest of tourist aircraft, so competing aircraft had to be able to take at least two persons aboard, take off and land on a short field and cover a distance with a good cruise speed. For this Challenge, all countries designed new aircraft especially to meet the contest demands, the only exception was a single MacPherson's de Havilland Puss Moth, but it was modified as well. All these aircraft were monoplanes with 3 or 4 seats in an enclosed cab, an advanced wing mechanization (flaps, slats and some other devices) and mixed or metal construction.

Most aircraft were fast cantilever low-wing monoplanes: the German Messerschmitt Bf 108 (4), Fieseler Fi 97 (5) and Klemm Kl 36 (4), the Polish PZL.26 (5) and the Italian Pallavicino PS-1 (2) or braced low-wing monoplanes: the Czechoslovak Aero A.200 (2) and the Italian Breda Ba-39 (2) and Ba-42 (2). An exception were the basic aircraft of the Polish team - high-wing braced monoplanes RWD-9 (7), one of which was also flown by the Czech crew, and the Puss Moth. Of those, Bf 108 and PS-1 had a retractable landing gear.

The German aircraft had starting numbers from a range: 12-26, the Italian: 41-46, the Czechoslovak: 51-54 and the Polish: 61-81 (numbers were placed on fuselages in a black square frame).

Technical trials

On August 29 the technical evaluation of the competing planes' construction started. Since it was a tourist plane contest, features such as: a comfortable cabin with a good view, a presence of the third and fourth seats, seats placed side-by-side, a rich set of controls, ease and time of engine starting, ease of wings' folding, safety devices and a modern construction with usage of metal, were also awarded with points. The view was evaluated by placing a lamp in the cab, in a dark hangar and examining light area. All the German aircraft, two Italian and the Puss Moth exceeded empty weight limit of 560.56 kg and had to have some unnecessary parts dismounted. The first technical trial to be completed was a quick engine starting, carried on 31 August-1 September. Most aircraft scored maximum 24 points in it.

Technical evaluation lasted until September 4, and most points were given to Bf 108s (450-452 pts), then Pallavicino PS-1 (438 pts), Fi 97s (428-431 pts), Aero A.200 (429 pts) and RWD-9 (427 pts). The rest followed: Klemm Kl 36 - 394-407 pts, PZL.26 - 383 pts, Puss Moth - 373 pts and Bredas - 323-346 pts.

On September 3-4, there was a short take off trial, which required the crews to fly over an 8 m high gate. The best was the Czech Vojtěch Žaček, taking off from the closest distance 74.5 m (Aero A.200), then Jerzy Bajan (RWD-9) and Ján Ambruš with the second A.200. The Polish RWD-9s and PZL.26s and the German Fi 97s were also high, while the Italians and most other German aircraft appeared worse, with results above 100 m. For comparison, the best result from the previous Challenge was 91.6 m.

After further trials had been completed, on September 5 the leaders of a general classification changed and remained similar until the end of this part. Leaders were: Jerzy Bajan (RWD-9S, 875 pts), Tadeusz Karpiński (RWD-9S, 856 pts), Hans Seidemann (Fi 97, 850 pts), Gerhard Hubrich (Fi 97, 848 pts), Stanisław Płonczyński (RWD-9, 844 pts), then Karl Francke (Bf 108), Jan Buczyński (RWD-9), Wolf Hirth (Fi 97), Szczepan Grzeszczyk (PZL.26).

A minimal speed trial started on August 31, but it had to be continued on September 2 due to weather and some crews completed it only on September 6. The Pole Jerzy Bajan flying the RWD-9 was the slowest with 54.14 km/h speed. Good results below 60 km/h obtained also other RWD-9s, the Czechs and the German Kl 36s and Fi 97s, the worst were Italian Bredas - above 75 km/h, what was not scored (a new device - slots in wings fitted in Bredas, proved useless in practice).

After the technical trials and the race, Jerzy Bajan held first place in the general classification with 1855 points, with Stanisław Płonczyński in second with 1821 pts, Hans Seidemann in third with 1813 pts, followed by two Czechs, Ján Ambruš (1795 pts) and Jan Anderle (1770 pts). Bf 108 pilots were 12th (Werner Junck - 1733 pts), 13th (Theo Osterkamp - 1729 pts) and 15th (Karl Francke - 1715 pts).

Maximum speed trial

The last part of the Challenge was a maximum speed trial, on a 297 km triangular course. The trial was carried out on Sunday, August 16, from 4 pm, at the Mokotowskie airfield in Warsaw.

Due to a handicapping system, contestants took off in order of general classification, with proper intervals, and an amount of points given in the speed trial meant, that the first on the finishing line would be the winner of the contest. Each km/h above 210 km/h was awarded with one point.

The fastest were three German Bf 108s, with Theo Osterkamp at the lead (291 km/h). Next three places were taken by the Polish RWD-9s: Stanisław Płonczyński, Jan Buczyński, Jerzy Bajan and Henryk Skrzypiński, the later ex eaquo with Hans Seidemann (Fi 97). The Pole Ignacy Giedgowd (PZL.26) and the Italian Ernesto Sanzin (Ba-39S) had to land due to engine faults and scored 0 points.

Bf 108s managed to improve their positions, but first four places in general classification have not changed. The first contestants arrived in order: Bajan - Płonczyński - Seidemann - Ambruz - Osterkamp - Junck.

Results

A closing ceremony was held soon after the maximum speed test on September 16. The winners were the Polish crew of pilot Jerzy Bajan and mechanic Gustaw Pokrzywka. Their success was not only a result of their aviation skills, but also of the technical features of their Polish-designed RWD-9. Due to their victory, Poland had a right to organize the next Challenge in 1936, but it decided not to, because of financial reasons. The FAI proposed that other countries organize the contest, but Germany, Italy and France declined. The 1934 Challenge remained the last Challenge and the Polish Aero Club was given a right to retain a transitory cup.

ee also

*Challenge 1929
*Challenge 1930
*Challenge 1932

References

*Marian Krzyżan: "Międzynarodowe turnieje lotnicze 1929-1934", Warsaw 1988, ISBN 83-206-0637-3 (Polish language)

External links

* [http://www.sampol.de/polski/Challenge/challenge_pl.htm Photos]