THE AIR PAGEANT

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 118, 14 November 1929, Page 10

THE AIR PAGEANT

ALL SHAPING WELL ARRANGEMENTS FOR PUBLIC 'PLANES DUE TOMORROW The organisation of an air pageant on the scale which the Wellington Aero Club has undertaken for Saturday, or Monday, should Saturday's weather be unfavourable, is quite a big job, and is bigger again as New Zealand's experience of such shows is strictly limited. However, everything is shaping very well, for which the Wellington Club very largely thanks the officers and member of ether aero clubs, tiie Minister of Defence, and his officers, city officials, and a great many helpers who are lending a hand with the idea of making this first pageant something worth while, and a show, moreover, which will produce a sufficient sum to place the Wellington Club on a sound and workable financial footing. Evidence of the hearty co-operation of other clubs and aeroplane owners, commercial and private, is • given in many directions. The Auckland Aero Club, for instance, is, at its own expense, helping in the matter of ground management —a most important business, for the success of what goes on in the air depends greatly upon the absence of hitches on the ground—by sensing down Flying Officer R. J. Copeley, who will arrive on Saturday morning. Captain Whyte, in charge of the Hawkes Bay team, is also arranging for a trained- ground engineer, and that the North and South Island clubs gen^ erally have a real interest in the pageant is shown by the fact that the presidents of most of them have signifies their intention of being present, and ail will be represented by executive officers as well as by their flying teams. HELP OF DEFENCE DEPARTMENT.

Particularly does the club appreciate the assistance given by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. T. M. Wilford, amd his Departmental officers. Not ojily has the Minister made available for the day two fast and' showy fighting machines, the Gloster Grebes, from Christchurch, and pilots, but has authorised the co-opera-tion of the flying branch of the Defence Department in the widest sense. / The advice of the Director of Air Services Wing-Gommanaer Grant-Dalton, rocently from the Old Country, where , pageants have developed into wonderfully organised and wonderfully spectacular affairs, has been most valuable to the executive of the club. The City-Coun-cil, too, has placed the fullest facilities at the disposal of the club. The signals branch of the Polst and Telegraph Department is also assisting in various ways;- for instance, signal men will be posted at various points round the air race course, and imy infringements will be immediately signalled back to the official stand; and infringing pilots will be struck ant. "

MACHINES AT THE AIRJ?ORT.

The first of the seventeen, -machines which will take part in the show are to arrive at Rongotai 'this afternoon, and others will land to-morrw morning and afternoon. The Defernce fighters will probably not show uj> till Saturday morning. As a mattar. of fact, the first actually on the ground was Mr. O. B. Cotterell's American light 'plane, the monocoupe, but it landed in cases, and the final touches are now being given, for its assembly. CaptainM'Gregor, D.F.C., one oif the best known of New Zealand's ' war pilots, and Captain Gibbons, of Hamilton Airways, Ltd., are due this afternoon, and, starting off from Rongotai at about half-past four, will bombard the city and suburbs gently with.: 20,000 or so leaflets, of which a certain number will be marked to entitle fin/lers to double passes to the ground on' Saturday. It is just possible that the Defence Department machines will operate from Blenheim, not landing at Rongotai, on account of the large aumber of other machines, but the point has yet to be settled. To machines as fast as the Grebes the trip across Cook Strait does not count for much, 'taking only half an hour or so each. \ray and so much petrol.

Eight machines can be housed in the shed recently re-created by the City Council, and three will fit comfortably iv the Aero Club's temporary hangar. Neither of these buildings can be hold up as the last word in modern hangar design and convenience, but they will fill a gap until something better can be provided. Other machines will be pegged down in regulation style. (

STARTING TO THE TICK.

As tho programrme of events is packed just about as.full as it can be it is essential, Wing-Commander Grant-Dal-ton has advised, that each event must commence to the tick, and thus even though the main race, the Wellington Derby, may njot be completed, the machines taking part in the next event must be in the air for the next item on the list.

Though very full arrangements have been made for the control and guidance of traffic, it iv requested that the public should be at the airport sharp for the opening. The Mayor, Mr. G. A. Troup, will speak 'briefly* at ten minutes to two, and will then make the first official .flight with Captain M'Gregor. Standard Telephones, Ltd., are attending to the installation of amplifiers for the broadcasting of the Mayor's brief speech and tho various announcements, which will be .made by Mr. R. E. Money, of Dominion Airways, Ltd. The inner enclosure will provide seating accommodation for about 5000 people, and the main enclosure will have room for 15,000 or 20,000. The area to the west of the roadway down to tho beach will be reserved as a car park, say 800 to 1000 cars, and if necessary additional parking space will be provaded on the level ground further to the weßt. Parking and traffic arrangoments generally will be seen to by the city traffic officers, under the direction of Mr. L. S. Drake. The entran/ce to the airport is from Coutts street, a few yards past the Rongotai tram shed.

Enough has been said of the necessity on the part of the public to keep within the enclosures to impress all but those who are bent on becoming serious hospital cases. To those who may have no great objection to being damaged themselves it. may be pointed out that they may lead others into sennus trouble should they trespass on the landing ground. Though the military, naval, and police forces are joining in the patrolling of the ground their work cannot be fully effective unless the public fully co-operate with them.

The Caledonian Society's Pipe Band and the Miramar Silver Band have offered their services for the afternoon [and will play selections prior to the' i opening, and during the one or two brief intervals in the programme. Should a postponement be necessary a four-flag signal will be flown on Mount Victoria at 11 a.m. on Saturday, and signals will also be shown on the Town Hall and General Post Office