AERIAL PAGEANT

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 16 November 1929, Page 9

AERIAL PAGEANT

WELLINGTON’S FIRST FIXTURE

PERFECT WEATHER CONDITIONS. MAYOR TO' BE A PASSENGER (By Telegrapu—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Nov. 16 Despite prognostications perfect weather prevails for the first Wellington air pageant, and all that is necessary is for the existing conditions to continue, in which case the public and fliers alike should thoroughly enjoy themselves. The Mayor (Mr. G. A. Troup) speaks at 1.30 o’clock and afterwards makes Ms first flight in an aeroplane. He is the only .passenger who will go• up outside members of an aero club. The main event is the Aerial Derby, which is being flown in heats. The course is ten miles. The Mayor will fly in a Hamilton Airways’ machine piloted by Captain MacGregor.

FLIERS ARRIVE

WELLINGTON, Nov. 16.

Goodwin and Chichester’s AvroAvian, with Captain Bolt in charge and bfr Goodwin as a passenger, arrived yesterday at 3.15 o’clock from Christchurch, The next to arrive was Captain Burrell in a. Gloster-Grebe from Blenheim. Captain Hall arrived with his wife from Hororata at 10 this morning, and Mr Mill came in three-quarters of an hour later. Captain "White left by motor this morning to bring his ’plane from Martinborough. Captain Allen is still at Dannevirke. and it is not known if his ’plane can he fixed in time for him to participate. ’PLANE WRECKED. CRASHES WHILE TAKING OFF.

BLENHEIM, NOV. 15

Captain M. Buckley, officer commanding the Wigram aerodrome, who called in at Blenheim this morning to ire fuel en route to the pageant at Wellington, had the misfortune 'to. crash his .maohinie, la Gloster-Grebe, when taking off from the Woodburn aerodrome in continuation of his flight this afternoon.

After a short run the powerful scout ‘plane took the air. When a few feet up the pilot suddenly discovered a complete absence of control. The right wing dipped and touched the ground, the impact causing a violent counter-swing over to the left side. A steady westerly wind blowing down field tilted tlie right wing and the left wing struck the ground heavily,* dragging the nose of the machine down. One blade of the propeller was smashed clean off, and the. left wing crumpling Jet the ‘plane down on the side, the engine gouging a hole tin. the ground The ‘plane skidded: some distance and pulled up in a badly wrecked condition. The pilot easily freed himself from the safety belt and jumped to tlie ground uninjured. Captain Buckley estimates the dam-' age at 50 per cent, of the value of the machine. It was the latest Grebe to arrive at Wigram and was only about a year old. The pilot sayis the cause of the accident was inexplicable. Though the wind was heavy, it was not sufficient to-cause the trouble, and he suspects something went radically wrong with the controls. The machine wall be taken by motorlorry, to Clhistchureh on Monday. Captain Burrell immediately after the crash took off successfully for Wellington, and an Avro-Avian left just prior to the accident.