The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest (), 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 had won the previous Challenge in 1932. The contest rules were announced in June 1933: like the previous contest, it consisted of three parts: technical trials, a rally over Europe and a maximum speed trial, but there were changes in details. Since one of the aims of the Challenges was to stimulate the development of tourist aircraft, a stress was placed upon aircraft performance and quality, although pilots' skills remained crucial.
The opening ceremony was held at noon on August 28, 1934, 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 the 1932 Challenge, because the contest was more difficult. The aircraft flew with a two-man crew (pilot and mechanic). Only four countries entered teams for 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 a new aircraft, the Caudron C.500 had not finished in time and its weight was too great. The first prize in the Challenge was 100,000 French francs, the second 40,000 FF, the third 20,000 FF and the fourth 10,000 FF; 15 other crews would get 6,000 FF.
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 de Havilland Puss Moth flown by MacPherson, although this had been was modified for the competition. All these aircraft were monoplanes with 3 or 4 seats in an enclosed cabin, advanced wing design with (flaps and 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 Czechoslovak crew, and the Puss Moth. Of those, the 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: the numbers were placed on the fuselage in a black square frame.
Technical trials On August 29 the technical evaluation of the competing aircraft's construction started. Since it was a tourist aircraft contest, features such as a comfortable cabin with a good view, the presence of the third and fourth seats, seats placed side-by-side, a comprehensive set of controls, ease and time of engine starting, ease of wings' folding, safety devices and modern construction with the use of metal were awarded points. The view was evaluated by placing a lamp in the cabin while the aircraft was in a dark hangar and examining light area. All the German aircraft, two Italian and the Puss Moth exceeded the empty weight limit of and had to have some unnecessary parts removed. The first technical trial to be completed was a quick engine starting, carried on 31 August-1 September. Most aircraft scored the maximum 24 points in it.
Technical evaluation lasted until September 4, and the most points were given to the Bf 108s (450-452 pts), followed by the Pallavicino PS-1 (438 pts), the Fi 97s (428-431 pts), the Aero A.200 (429 pts) and the RWD-9 (427 pts). The other scores were: 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 high barrier. The best performer was the Czechoslovak Vojtěch Žáček, taking off from the closest distance of (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 also performed well, while the Italians and most other German aircraft appeared inferior, with results above . For comparison, the best result from the previous Challenge was .
Top results of the short take-off trial Pilot country aircraft distance points1.Vojtěch Žáček Aero A.200 74.5 m 141 pts2. Jerzy Bajan RWD-9S76.1 m140 pts3.Ján Ambruš Aero A.20077.6 m138 pts4. Szczepan GrzeszczykPZL.2678.2 m138 pts5. Gerhard Hubrich Fieseler Fi 97 78.3 m138 pts
After the technical evaluation and the short take-off trial, on September 4 the leaders were the Germans flying Bf 108s: Theo Osterkamp (597 points), Werner Junck (596 points) and Otto Brindlinger (594 points), then Vojtěch Žáček (A.200, 594 points), Jerzy Bajan (RWD-9, 591 points) and Ján Ambruš (A.200, 591 points), then German Fi 97s and Polish RWD-9s.
Next, on September 4–5, followed a short landing trial, behind an 8-m high barrier. The best result, (210 points) was achieved by Hans Seidemann (Fi 97). In the first ten scores there were other Fieselers, the Polish RWD-9s and PZL.26s and MacPherson's Puss Moth. The Czechoslovak A.200s had the worst results, above , along with Bredas and Bf 108s. The best result from the previous Challenge was . Top results of the short landing trial Pilot country aircraft distance points1.Hans Seidemann Fieseler Fi 97 75 m210 pts2. Tadeusz Karpiński PZL.2678.2 m208 pts3. Gerhard Hubrich Fieseler Fi 97 79 m206 pts4. Andrzej Włodarkiewicz PZL.2679.7 m205 pts5. Jerzy Bajan RWD-9S79.8 m205 pts6. Walter MacPherson / DH-80A80.8 m203 pts
A fuel consumption trial on a closed circuit was held on September 5. The best were three Bf 108s, scoring 86-95 pts, then five Poles with 73-79 points. Quite good results were scored by the Italians, while the German Fi 97s and Kl 36s and the Czechoslovaks were worst in this trial. Top results of the fuel consumption trial Pilot country aircraft kg/100 km points1.Karl Francke Bf 108A10.595 pts2.Werner Junck Bf 108A11.0790 pts3.Theo Osterkamp Bf 108A11.4886 pts4. Jerzy Bajan RWD-9S 12.1179 pts5. Szczepan Grzeszczyk PZL.2612.2678 pts
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 a speed of . Good results below 60 km/h were obtained by the other RWD-9s, the Czechoslovaks 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).
Top results of the minimal speed trial Pilot country aircraft speed points1.Jerzy Bajan RWD-9S54.14 km/h83 pts2.Jan Anderle RWD-9W55.24 km/h 79 pts3.Ján Ambruš Aero A.20055.88 km/h76 pts4.Stanisław Płonczyński RWD-9S56.72 km/h73 pts5. Wolfgang Stein Klemm Kl 36 57.67 km/h69 pts6. Fritz MorzikKlemm Kl 3657.78 km/h68 pts
On September 1 there was a trial of quick folding of wings, which was a feature to save space in hangars. Also the aircraft dimensions and the way of folding were awarded points. The trial was completed only on September 6, and first 7 results were of RWD-9s with 36 points, followed by four Italians.
One German and one Italian crews damaged their aircraft during technical trials (Bf 108 and PS-1) and had to retire. It was however the best ratio of crews to complete the technical trials of all Challenges. Generally, top places were taken by RWD-9s and Fi 97s, while Bf 108s, Kl 36s and PZL.26s proved average, and Italian machines closed a list with 559-801 points.
Top results after the technical trials Pilot Country Aircraft Points1. Jerzy Bajan RWD-9S- 994 pts2. Tadeusz Karpiński RWD-9S- 954 pts3. Stanisław Płonczyński RWD-9S- 953 pts4. Hans Seidemann Fieseler Fi 97- 939 pts5. Gerhard Hubrich Fieseler Fi 97- 936 pts6. Jan Buczyński RWD-9S - 920 pts7. Stefan Florjanowicz RWD-9W - 919 pts8-10. Wolf Hirth Fieseler Fi 97- 915 pts8-10.Ján Ambruš Aero A.200 - 915 pts8-10.Jan Anderle RWD-9W - 915 pts
Rally over Europe The second part of the Challenge was a 9537.4 km rally over Europe and northern Africa, on a path: Warsaw - Königsberg - Berlin - Köln - Brussels - Paris - Bordeaux - Pau - Madrid - Seville - Casablanca - Meknes - Sidi Bel Abbes - Algiers (stage waypoint) - Biskra - Tunis - Palermo - Naples - Rome - Rimini - Zagreb - Vienna - Brno - Prague - Katowice - Lwów - Wilno - Warsaw. There were also 8 checkpoints, among others, in Tanger, Messina and Castelfranco Veneto. The route was far longer and more difficult, than in previous contests. Awarded were, first of all, a cruise speed on a whole track, then a regularity of flight. Three nights apart from appointed airfields or a cruise speed below 130 km/h caused disqualification.
The rally started on September 7, in rain, between 5 and 5.30 am. The Bf 108s could take advantage of their speed and were first to reach Berlin. That day 24 fastest crews reached Paris, flying 1752.4 km (10 Poles, 8 Germans, 3 Czechoslovaks and 3 Italians). The German Wolfgang Stein (Kl 36) and the Italian team's captain Ambrogio Colombo (Ba-42) had to land and quit due to engine faults. Several crews had similar problems, but managed to repair them.
On the next day, many crews, who started early, especially flying Bf 108s, had problems with locating an airfield in Bordeaux due to heavy fog and had forced landings, lowering their cruise speed (on that occasion, Theo Osterkamp and Gerhard Hubrich had problems with the local police). One Klemm Kl 36 was damaged during a forced landing and had to withdraw (Ernst Krüger). Most - 14 crews reached Seville that day, 9 stayed in Madrid, while last two crews remained in Bordeaux, including Stanisław Płonczyński (RWD-9). Two Poles (Andrzej Włodarkiewicz and Szczepan Grzeszczyk on PZL.26s) reached as far, as Casablanca (3715.2 km).