SQUALLY CONDITIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 155, 4 July 1938, Page 13

SQUALLY CONDITIONS.

Owing to the squally conditions prevailing. Mr. |„. K. A. Hay ward cancelled his parachute jump at'the weekly display of aerobatics at the Manirere Aerodrome yesterday afternoon. Mr. Hay ward has performed in other NewZealand centres, and was to have given his first jump in Auckland. The remainder of the programme, however, was carried out as scheduled. SELLARS' CAREER. Sellars, who was aged 28. was the elder son of Mr. and Mrs. (i. W. Sellars, of John Street, Green island. Dunedin! He was horn at Balclutha and educated at the Balclutha District High School, and was a member of the Auckland and Otago Aero Clubs.

A qualified pilot as well as a parachutist, Sellars began his flying career under the instruction of SquadronLeader E. G. Olson at the North Taieri Aerodrame in 1931, making his first flight on November 13 of that year. He carried out his practical parachute training at Wigram Aerodrome, Christchurch, about three years ago, under the supervision of the New Zealand Air Force and Mr. Bernard Skinner, formerly a United States Army parachutist, and a member of the Byrd Antarctic Expedition.

He was the second aviator in New Zealand to qualify as a parachute jumper, the first being the late Mr. "Scotty" Fraser.

Sellars was known all over the Dominion. Starting his career as a railway fireman, he gained a reputation as a dare-devil by several feats he performed while working on trains running on the South Island main line between Christchurch and Dunedin. His quest of excitement lead him to flying, and after qualifying as a pilot he saw the late "Scotty" Fraser make parachute descents at several South Island air pageants. He learned the rudiments ot parachute dropping from Fraser and then began work on his own account as a professional parachutist.

Jubilee Pageant. Sellars' ambition was to break the British Empire record for parachute descents. He had appeared in many air pageants at Auckland, one of his last performances here being at the Auckland Aero Club's jubilee pageant this summer. He became a familiar figure to patrons of the Sunday afternoon aeronautical displays at Mangere. Sellars had made 200 jumps, and he held the New Zealand record descent. This was accomplished at Mangere last December, when he jumped from an aeroplane flying at 7800 ft, the previous record being in the neighbourhood of 6200 ft. Sellars often claimed that he would jump from over 20,000 feet before he was killed.

Mr. Sellars often said he took up parachute jumping to prove he was not afraid. He told a group of reporters recently that as a boy he was verv sensitive, and had been twitted with want of courage on several occasions. This had made him determined to demonstrate that he was not frightened.