AVIATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 20 December 1924, Page 15

AVIATION.

AUSTRALIAN DERBY

A ‘WEEK’S TEST WITH LGWPU\\ FRED MACH LiN ES.

SYDNEY, Dec. 3

The annual aerial Leroy will commence at Richmond aerodrome, near Sydney, on Saturacly, when the State Governor will liv from his country home at Moss Vale, in order to. be- present. This fixture, which is rapidly increasing in magnitude as the most important aerial event in Australasia, has this year a special interest in that the week preceding it is being devoted to a series of tests of low-powerecl riiachiries. The development of these has such an important bearing upon the use of aircraft lior civilian purposes, minimising the !risks, and areas required for landing, as iwell as bringing down the cost of the machines. Oiit of the ten low-powered aeroplanes that are participating in the tests, which are being carried out on similar lilies to motor reliability tests, with the results calculated and announced at the end of the week, eight have been designed and built in Australia. This is accepted as a striking demonstration of the encouragement that has re- . suited from the organisation of the competitions by the Aero Club. The other two have been imported from England, being regarded hs the best of those which competed at the similar and now famous tests held at Lynipen last year. It was a venturesome undertaking for the Aero Club to.organise such tests,, but the enthusiasm with which local' airmen and mechanics have entered into the scheme is hailed as proving that the spirit of Lawrence Hargrave, one of the principal pioneers of heavier-than-air machines, still lives in Australia. There have been several thrilling incidents, one in particular, resulting in a 2{) h.p. Blackburn “Tomtit” biplane, which Captain Moody was taxi-ing and hopping a few feet off the ground, running into a rut and capsizing. Captain Moody was thrown out and fortunately escaped injury, and it is hoped to have the machine ready for the Derby "next week. There have been one or two forced landings which have caused some alarm to the numerous spectators, but so far the preliminaries of the great aerial event* of the year have proceeded very satis- ' factoyily, and have- been favoured with excellent weather conditions.