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Bird's eye view
Page 63
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*Ted v. the lady
The Ruislip LDOY organizers always try to give spectators that little bit extra to make it a real day out. This year was no exception—for instance a pair of clowns to entertain the children helped to bridge the boredom gap. But the adults also had something extra on Sunday.
A special challenge, to be run off in the pause between the final test and the prizegiving, was announced as a contest between "an ex-Squadron Leader and a Captain in the American Air Force". The former turned out to be Ted Teer of Police, Schweppes and LDOY fame while the US officer turned out to be the lady who is in charge of transport at the American base at Ruislip!
They both went through the standard driving tests in an American artic and Captain Stroud drove extremely well to win by a short tractive unit. I don't dare to suggest that some chivalry may have been involved in the result, but I do know that the artic was a real beast for this particular kind of driving. It was a left-hand-drive, normal-control, long-wheelbase tractive unit with a short trailer, which made parking in the "bay" virtually impossible for anyone unaccustomed to it although "response" when reversing was slow, the outfit would suddenly fold and then could not be "got backin time.
Most of the drivers at Ruislip would have got into a real tangle with it on first acquaintance, just as Ted did once or twice. But I take my hat off to him for having a go.
* Stars with stripes?
You might ask what this American artic was doing at the competition, anyway. It was really a bit of quid pro quo. Each year the USAF lets the Ruislip organizers use its car parks for the competitors and so the Americans were offered the chance of joining in the day's fun.
Four US drivers from the base used the artic to go through the tests, not in the main competition but in a small one of their own. They took the opportunity with 'enthusiam and tackled it seriously. In spite of having such a difficult vehicle the four drivers received relatively few penalties and showed that they knew very well how to handle an artic.
* Distaff driving
Talking of the weaker (?) sex at the wheel of big vehicles, something of the sort was to be seen at FVRDE, Chobham, last week when British Leyland gave journalists the chance to drive three versions of the new AEC V8 Mandator on the Army's own test circuit.
It was no surprise that the technical test-driving lads took to this like ducks to water but a young lady from a national daily also drove the automatic-transmission version with great elan. Not to be shamed, CM's editor (more accustomed to pushing a pen than big pedals) did some enthusiastic laps with the semi-automatic and 10-speed constant-mesh models. Whereupon Mrs. Editor, who stands only 5ft 4in. in her cotton socks and is certainly no heavyweight, calmly
took the wheel of the semi-automatic V8 and whistled it round the banked main circuit at about 50 mph without turning a hair. Which just goes to show how simple it can be to drive 32 tons of modern artic if the design—and the conditions—are right. And also assuming that you have the pluck.
* Solid silver
As the Insititute of
'Traffic Adminis..tration goes into its 25th year, it was
most appropriate that silver should play an important part in after-dinner presentations at the annual conference banquet and ball at 'Leamington on Saturday.
Frank White, vice-president, presented a solid silver trophy (pictured here) to be awarded annually to the centre gaining the greatest percentage increase in membership. In the shape of a piston, representing road, with a sea motif round the base, rails running up the stem, and points encircling the globe and representing an aircraft in flight, the trophy encompasses that Institute's interests.
Immediate past-chairman, Jim Broster, also the Institute a vice-president's jewel and ribbon of office in the same design, which he had promised when Mr. White was installed last year.
* Charabanc memories
Some long-service presentation functions certainly take one back a bit. At a recent presentation of awards—and education and training prizes—at Wadham (Holdings) Ltd., Waterlooville, the guest-of-honour was to have been L. L. Windebank of Wadhams (Coachbuilders). Unfortunately he was not well enough to be present but I'm told that this is his 50th year of unbroken service with the company; when he started his apprenticeship he was paid 2s bd a week for very much longer hours than today. And in those days he was trimming charabancs and cars—a job he continued until World War II.