PAGEANT IN THE SKY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18173, 19 August 1922, Page 9

PAGEANT IN THE SKY.

ROYAL air ; FORCE\ SRORm TEB/TS IN- BAD SOME THRILLING DISPLAYS. [FBOSI OUB OWJJ CORBESPONDENT.] / LpKCON, July 7. Last year :•'the-Boyal Air Force, played its.pageant against a background of blue sky, the aeroplanes glittering and-flashing in the sunshine. Hendon and the hills around the grounds were the Mecca of a quarter of,. a million people. .. This year the R.A.F. had prepared a programme in every way equal in attractiveness to that oi last year, but the sky was grey, and a gusty- wind; swept ragged masses, of low cloud, first with occasional drizzle, then with heavy and continuous rain, across the field. . ... ..'..: ._',.;.'. At the end of the day Chief-Air Marshall Sir Hugh Trenchard said the pageant showed what the pilots could do in bad weather, and what the officers could do in the way of organisation. -" It shows;'* he said, "that the Air Force, although it'might bo small, is the most highly-efficient force in the world. There is no other air force in the world that could have put up a show like.it." New Machines. Among the. foaw machines, on view was the Blackburn Dart, a torpedo carrier fitted with the 450 h.p. Napier engine. ThL'i machine has folding wings, so that it can be accommodated on an aircraft carrier, and is designed to get off from deck and .alight on it. Its landing speed is as low as 30 miles per hour, and it carries-a 21in. torpedo. ; The .new Avro " Aldershot," 600 h.p., Rolls-Royce " Condor,'. ■■ is a long-distance bomber, with 'two' deck's:hi the fuselage.', It is designed to carry a very heavy load, and also for effective defence against attack. The Weasel is a new type,, designed -'for fighting and reconnaissance. With it« bigh-power radial engine it is very fast and very manoeuvrable ■ : The final for the landing competition brought; out three. Standard Avros, on which the pilots had to land in a field 100 yaids square. It was assumed that the area occupied by the spectators was high trees, and the pilots 1 had to switch off their .engines at a height of iOOOft., and land without touching the edge of the field!. In the high and gusty wind -these light machines,, coming down without power, and the pilots manoeuvring to avoid .obstacles, and keeping down the speed almost to stalling point, were tossed about like leaves. Sometimes, when quit* near the ground, a machine appeared to be dangerously tilted,' but in all. cases good landings - were . made, apparently feather-light, and with scarcely any; run. A race between 18 standard AvroV over a course of 12 miles was an exciting one, the whole squad sweeping close over the heads of the crowd. All the niachines listed in tho programme turned 'out for tho handicap race, in : which i each aeroplane was handicapped according to the spojd it was capable of attaining.f; The. winner of the contest proved to.be the new : Aldershot Condor. -The other two , new machines—Weasel;Jaguar arid.Weasai JupiterMfrere second and third, .while}.the old-type Bristol Fighter* and 8.&5i-.carie in fourth and fifth- ■...; . ■■:■:.&- -Clever- ■•"■ 1 The exhibition of fiymV".by" Flight-Lieut. W. H. Lougton; A.F.C., 'altbo«igli'--- : -'i«\----"^cb>A-V a ?^ l ? ft -''' conditions, was as good -V/^bw • asi that given last year by Flight- , Lieutenant Noakee. • To . the.... steadygoing flyer it looked l?ke breaking all • the rules; to one and all it gave .amuse- • mentund delight. He flew almost side- v i ways, stalled the machine close -to -th* ground ,with.the wind astern, side-slipped . on aflatturn; in fMt, put the,nmc^iae T tlirough a Jq»d..of. grotesque,- ' dance. This was . followed oy .an.. attack.. • on a tank by four Sopwitii Snipes, and i the relay race for the challenge cup pre- . sented by the Duke of York, and won last ; yoar by Kenley -(No. 24)„ -Twelve stations competed, each with ateainof three, an Avro, a> Bristol, and "a Snipe- Landings had .to ...be .made, and.,,despatches hitnded over. "}£»] '": Another item on the programme showed two different kinds of Amphibians and the latest type of torpedo-carrying aeroplane which in.ian*emergency'cah shed its landing wheels and inflate air bags* for landing in the water. - ; .-,..,, Thrilling Attacks. V The two final items were the great popular spectacles of the day. The kite-halv Icon was attacked by Sopwith Snipes, which could be seen flying in and out of dense rain-clouds ' : trying to~ score a hit. ' Presently; the dummjr observer in ; the kiteballoon "was seen to escape by, parachute, and a small flame appeared Jm the gasbag's side. This rapidly enlarged*, and- in '& moment flames enveloped the balloon, vrhichcanie tumbling.down, the display being' rendered more effective py We, ; - stormy background.rThe attack by bomb-" ers on the desert ..stronghold was ■; most realistic: One saw a -reconnaisanc6 • machine returning to its aerodrome-and supposed to.have engine trouble.- :A *«e----l.jss message was. sent; toy/it* . squadron ' stating where it was forced to land near • a desert .stronghold,.'and. the. nature of th* trouble. The garrison made a sortie wt4„. the aim of'capturing the iW occupants. An armoured car seqtwn, re- ' turning ; frohV a raid, chanced tojpass-ihe soot and protected.the, iynnen'froni* the enemy- Half:an-bbnr *as, supposed to elapsed when -a ■< formation of g rived in /jresponte to, -ibi, wirless^ (message ? for'; helfc' Oneimachine landed -tor de-» liver the spare part needed. the other 'machines dropped,, bombs and,-; emploved their machine guns" on-.vjae-stronghold, putting the • 3KB flight. An exciting battle, m ■.which; ,the.; i crackle *of'.machine-guns and th« bursting« . of bombs accompanied the aircraft engines,, ended in.the destruction, ! by fire and. by ;guns' • of the stronghold; 1 while the repair to the disabledaircraft) • was completing. - ;'■'•■."'■ : * Cut-o!-Dats Machines. [ The Dailv Mail takes the 1 opportunity I to point a' lesson ( from this aerial pagtvj.nt, i'cfr flying was difficult "The exceptional-crowds:■which; in'the worst weatherj 1 " -watched" with extra--1 ordinary enthusiasm the evolution of our ' iairmen at HeHdoh," says' thatr journal, 3 "show,-that the'-people of this country are > fbjxs in advance of our'"Ministers in --theiri interest iar the -Air Force ,and'> in their understanding; of the vital - air- problem. ' Nothing, could have, been;; finer than the 1 flying" performances, which proved; the ;ex- • cellence of our admirable airmetu What s vns disquieting and indeed _ incomprehensible was the. fact....that, with one or two .exceptiorts, all these : airinen were , equipped with machines four-yesirs. old.;, Not one single British-isquadcon' is coni 1 * ' pletety supplied with machines* of the 8 latest and best types, which our aonstruc^ r tors have designed and our - aircraft i buildera,-who are second to none in the , worlds are able to turn out."