SUCCESSFUL AIR PAGEANT

Northland Age, Volume XVIII, Issue 40, 22 February 1949, Page 1

SUCCESSFUL AIR PAGEANT

All day long on Saturday last, all roads led to ttie Kaitaia Aerodrome for the Air Pageant that was being staged by the Kaßaia , Aero Club to aid their funds for the purpose of building a hangar ! for their Tiger Moth, and their I second machine which it is hoped will come into their hands in the very near future. Further funds are required for the maintaining and servicing of these, and for general purposes. Cars, trucks, bicycles, buses and people on foot streamed towards th’s fete of the air, until the crowd had assumed the proportions of something over 2000. Present were six Tiger Moths, amongst which was the lacol Club’s machine, an Ercoupe, a Beechcraft, a Whitney Straight, all these of the Auckland Aero Club, and an Auster, the property of Mr. E. Gray of Horeke. Visiting pilots were led by Mr. It. Prentice, chief instructor for the Auckland Aero Club, and included Messrs. N. Kiddell, J. Marsh, A, Paterson, V. Donnelly, D. Grieg, P. Henderson (son of the President of the local Club), G. Johnson, A. Ferguson, M. Morissey, M. Lazarus, M. Wilson, C. Drummond, P. F. McKeexei and J. Blackburn. Mr. E. Gray of Horeke was also present ,o fly his own craft.V , Passenger and charter flights were undertaken through the day, and one flight was made with passengers in the Beechcraft up around North Cape and Cape Reinga. Whilst it is realised that money must be acquired for these Aero j Clubs,'it might be as well to mention j (Rat perhaps too much attention was j paid to this aspect of passenger j flights, to the somewhat detriment of other features of the day’s outing. Mr. Prentice gave some very fine expositions of ground strafing, bursting balloons in the air, and his aim when in the air with local pilot, F, Myers, the pair from their respective machines attempting to bomb a moving target, was particularly good. He also gave a demonstration which was much appreciated, of balloon bursting. This takes the form of releasing balloons from the forward cockpit of the machine, the pilot then turning

Gala Day at Drome

to chase the fast drifting balloon and attempting, and succeeding in most instances, to bui-st the balloon with bis propellor. Mr. Prentice made a “dead-stick” landing which was a very fine effort, but a dead-si ick landing in formation by two pilots that was a particularly whieh-Tfiiior-tunately v. nffffaed Imthe n:aj<irky,rrf those present owing*t» ether ftftractions which were going on at 1 A height giWsjnfcipmpefftion was ’ won by a young man nanted JRucher I from Houhora, who made the estimation of 1970 feet, bping only six feet j away from the height the | machine had attained—-1976. ! 'Pilot F. Myers and Pilot D. Grieg staged a “dog-fight,” and whilst thia might have been spectacular enough' to some present, it was not appreciated by the.older men who witnessed it. “ffhg-figjits” in World most infregueffi>«*vrlinst those in \\Umld War 1 certainlyFfßrt- considerI able more punch..Jhan did that' on | Saturday. To an old R.F.C. majx i presen , this would seem very tame. The hero of the day was Parachu- | Hst rr-AQJVlussons. Mr. MussonsJ - young fellow, made two' jufffps. on the day, both ft'om about 2000 feet, falling between 400 and 500 feet before puiling’tiis rip-cord. An almost 'fiudiltfg sigh *6? relief went up from the crowd who were standing with pent and taut up-tui lied faces as the intrepid parachutist swung to the well-filled “umbrella” which had been opened by the pilotchute. As he floated to earth through a sun-drenched sky, hundreds of child- | v en took their lives in their hands by i n string ...across the runway to .lie at the spot whenjie eauie to earth. He was. their- hero, and one could see jjn of small boys, that they had in viewtTle that one day, the.,too “jump.” as late as six oMoeUr-theie still quite a large’ number of peopTF who to leave the !factor of last overcame their reluctance to and the aircraft were jjdl bedded down pending trip for a further nymw -