A soggy end for birdmen

Press, 1 April 1985, Page 2

A soggy end for birdmen

Nelson reporter

Aviation giants like Boeing and McDonnell Douglas have little to fear from Nelson’s aircraft designers. Yesterday, when all were given the opportunity of flight-testing their 1985 models at Port Nelson during the “Intrepid Birdman” contest, the greatest distance attained was only 17m. The distance was measured from the “flight deck” of a truck perched about 10m above the water.

It was achieved by two — last year’s winners, Steve Erskine (Air Nelson) and David Larkin (Glide-on Airlines).

Mr Erskine’s winning aircraft was a lightly stretched and reinforced version of last year’s model. Larkin’s aircraft was of hang-glider construction.

In a fly-off, Mr Erskine won the main prize (a Air New Zealand flight for two to Auckland) and Mr Larkin a consolation prize of a flight to Wellington for two. A crowd of about 5000 crowded into the port to

watch the fun air show.

Nobody was injured in the death-defying leaps, but there was a near accident when George Bradford and his beautifully presented biplane took off while the rescue crew below were still recovering the previous contestant and his aircraft. The biplane crashed alongside the rescue craft, the right wing narrowly missed a very startled coastguard, Mr Ray McConchie. Mr Bradford himself missed the craft’s outboard motor by about a metre. The most innovative aircraft — a biplane with a crew which included a “hostess” — was entered, flown, and watered by patrons of the Post Boy Hotel (Dave Cockerell, Barney Barnes, and Dennis Woods). For the rest, there were some weird and wonderful contraptions among the 25 entrants. These ranged from broomsticks to contraptions which looked like aircraft — such as those from Radio Nelson and the Red Hat Brigade of Mapua — but which flew like lead.