"Red Letter Day" in Manawatu Aviation

Manawatu Times, Volume 59, Issue 268, 15 November 1934, Page 6

"Red Letter Day" in Manawatu Aviation

RECORD-BREAKING MACHINES AT MILSON AERODROME

It was a red-letter day for Palmerston North yesterday and certainly an historic and memorable occasion in so far as aviation in this centre was concerned. Never before lias such a large and enthusiastic crowd been present at the Milson aerodrome—even on the occasion of visits from Sir Charles Kiugsford Smith’s famous monoplane, the Southern Cross, or Mr C. T. P. Uini’s Faith in Australia. Never before have two recordbreaking "planes, fresh from winning their laurels, used tlie land-ing-ground on the same day.

Yesterday at 2 p.m. on the occasion of the civic reception to SquadronLeader M. O. McGregor and Mr 11. O. Walker, of the Manawatu Aero Club, the now-famous Miles Hawk machine touched its wheels on the city drome after breaking the light-plane record from England to Australia. Six hours later the D.II. Dragon Rapldc, after setting a fresh record for crossing the Tasman from Australia to New Zealand—taking PI hours from coast to coast —landed at Milson. In regard to this latter ’plane, it. can also be added that Palmerston North has had the privilege of receiving a visit from a machine that has completed the England-Australia-New Zealand flight in rapid fashion. It was unfortunate that the Auckland machine met with a slight mishap in a night landing at the city airport, but. everything that could be done locally for an emergency landing was attended to expeditiously by the club authorities.