Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Tuesday 13 October 1953, page 8


Repaired Canberra

Finishes Course

CHRISTCHURCH (N.Z.), Monday (A.A.P.-Reuter). - Wing-Commander Derek Cuming's R.A.A.F. Canberra, delayed in the London-Christchurch air race by a mishap, to-day completed the 12,000-mile course.

It was the last of the five jet bombers in the race to cross the finishing line.

Wing-Commander Cuming, 'the R.A.A.F.'s chief test pilot,

lost his chance of winning the speed section when the Can-berra blew a tyre on Cocos Island, nearly 14 hours out from London.

Wing-Commander Cuming finished the race well within the 168 hours allowed-his elapsed time was just over 80 hours-but too late to share in the speed section prize

money.

His flight time was 22 hours

28 minutes.

Another Australian Can-berra, flown by SquadronLeader Peter Raw, took second prize.

The other three prizes went to the R.A.F.

«WAITING"

Squadron - Leader Raw's crew waited on Christchurch airfield to meet Wing-Com-mander Cuming.

Squadron-Leader Raw said as his commanding officer was stepping down from the plane, "Hurry up, boss, the photo-graphers are waiting."

Wing-Commander Cuming said: "She went like a bomb all the way until Cocos.

"1 was about two minutes ahead of Peter Raw at thal stage."

HAD GOOD LEAD

He confirmed that the tyre which blew out at Cocos was defective on the previous take-

off.

His top speed on the Colombb-Cocos run was 585 miles an hour.

At the time of the mishap he had a 15-minute lead over the first R.A.F. plane, and he thought he would have gained more on the next leg and win

the race. I

Asked what his crew did for' two days on Cocos while the plane was repaired, WingCommander Cuming said, "We drank beer and went for a swim."