5000 PLANES IN AVIATION REVIEW.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 118, 22 May 1939, Page 9

5000 PLANES IN AVIATION REVIEW.

EMPIRE AIR DAY.

63 R.A.F. Stations And 15 Civil Aerodromes.

LATEST HIGH-SPEED TYPES

British Official Wireless. (Received 9.30 am.) RUGBY. May 21. About .3000 Royal Air Force and civil aircraft were Hying-, or on the ground for inspection, yesterday afternoon at 63 Royal Air Force stations and 3o civil aerodromes. All were open to the public in celebration of Empire Air Day.

Apart from the large number of machines on view, the occasion was remarkable for the very strong representation of the latest high-speed types.

Aerodromes where machines of these types are not permanently stationed received visits from them during the day. Familiar items, such as air drill, were this year performed in these highspeed types. At many displays "combats" between squadrons took place.

A private air demonstration to acquaint members of both Houses of Parliament and other distinguished visitors with the latest developments in Royal Air Force aircraft and equipment will be given on Tuesday at Northolt. This will include a display of the newest types of British service aircraft, which have not, so far, been shown in public.

A feature of Empire Air Day. says a (•able message, was a flight by Squadron - Leader Stanforth in a, Spitfire fighter from Netheravon to Evanton, Scotland, and return. The flight totalled 1000 miles and the speed was more than 300 miles an hour.

Thousands of people flocked to the Air Force stations and civil aerodromes. The Secretary of State for Air, Sir Kingsley Wood, made an aerial tour of the aerodromes, where bombing and parachuting displays were given.

The only accident occurred near Manchester, where two members of the crew of a machine were critically injured in a crash.

SERVICE BEGINS.

ATLANTIC AIR MAIL.

Independent Cable Service. (Received 0.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, May 21

The Pan-American Airways flying boat Yankee Clipper left yesterday for I Europe carrying 16001b of letters on the' first regular transatlantic mail flight. There was little ceremony as the machine, carrying a crew of 17, but no passengers, left for the Azores, where she landed 13 hours and 21 minutes later.

A later message from Horta, Azores, states that the Yankee Clipper took off for Lisbon at 11.48 p.m. (British summer time) and reached the Portuguese capita] at 9.49 p.m., after crossing the Atlantic in 20J hours. j