AVIATION SKILL

Northern Advocate, 18 April 1932, Page 3

AVIATION SKILL

PAGEANT REPEATED. THRILLING EPISODES.

(Special to “Northern Advocate.”) AUCKLAND, Saturday.

Tho air display which was such a phenomenal success last Saturday was repeated this afternoon at the Auckland Trotting Club’s track at Alexandra Park, Epsom. Many people interested did not attend last Saturday owing to the rain which fell early in tho afternoon, so the Auckland Aero Club executive wisely decided to serve up an “encore” today. A big crowd . tended, and as before there were largo crowds on the fine vantage points of One Tree Hill and Mount Eden.

Everything went according to schedule, and with. Flight-Lieutenant D. M. Allan and Squadron-Leader McGregor again at their best in acrobatics and piloting respectively tho orange-coloured De Havilland Moth ami the yellow Spartan ’planes, the public got enough thrills to last them for years. These two expert pilots, after giving individual exhibitions, again staged their mock aerial battle.

Both flew upside down and gave even longer displays of crazy flying than they did last week. Another popular item on the programme was the bombing of a baby car by Messrs McGregor and Allan. Using bags of flour for bombs, they registered several hits, Flight-Lieut. Allan t being the- more successful; once his “bomb” struck the radiator of the car and stopped the engine. Pilot Officer “ Scotty Fraser made two excellent parachute descents in his Irvin parachute, both being delayed drops. On each occasion after he plunged headlong from the wing of the Spartan (piloted by SquadronLeader McGregor) he glided gracefully to earth and landed in the middle of the field. His last leap was his eighty-third. An event which greatly pleased and amused those looking on was the ‘ ‘ mystery pilot. ’ ’ A tall figure in frock coat and top hat was seen to walk out on to flying field and asked' permission to fly a ’plane. After getting in the wrong cockpit he was shown the way to the pilot’s seat, and was immediately off, rising in a few’ yards. Playing the role of the “drunken pilot,” he made his machine appear as if it, too, had become intoxicated, The pilot defied all tho laws of flying and did the most daring things, such as diving to the earth at great speed, touched the ground with both wheels and bouncing into tho air again.

An interesting height guessing competition wa? held, the public being invited to guess the height of a ’plane, The results will be announced later.