The World's Fastest Landplane: Major J. Doolittle's 800 h.p. Pratt and Whitney Wasp‐Engined Granville Monoplane Described

Abstract

AFTER having remained unbeaten, and almost unchallenged, since December 11, 1924—when Adjudant Bonnet in a Ferbois monoplane with a 550 h.p. Hispano‐Suiza engine achieved a speed of 448·171 kilometres per hour (278·486 m.p.h.)—the world's landplane speed record has at last been exceeded though not officially beaten. During the course of the Eleventh National Air Race Meeting, held at Cleveland, Ohio, from August 27th to September 5th, Major J. Doolittle achieved a considerably higher speed over a 3‐kilometre course. The average speed attained in the three runs was 476·726 k.p.h. (296·287 m.p.h.), the speed on one run being 497·245 k.p.h. (309·040 m.p.h.). This compares with the “absolute” air speed record, set up by Flight‐Lieutenant G. H. Stainforth in a Supermarine S.6 B. seaplane, with a Rolls‐Royce 2,300 h.p. engine, on September 29th, 1931, of 655 k.p.h. (407·5 m.p.h.). Unfortunately Major Doolittle's performance cannot be put forward as a new record owing to his failure to carry a barograph during the flight.

Citation

(1932), "The World's Fastest Landplane: Major J. Doolittle's 800 h.p. Pratt and Whitney Wasp‐Engined Granville Monoplane Described", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 4 No. 11, pp. 285-286. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb029618