AERIAL PAGEANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20537, 11 April 1930, Page 12

AERIAL PAGEANT.

FIXTURE AT MANGERE.

TO-MORROW'S ATTRACTIONS

MANY MACHINES COMPETING

Three applications have bpen received by the Auckland Aero Cluli from experienced parachutists, who have expressed themselves willing to make a parachute leap from an aeroplane at the Auckland Club's pageant at the Mangere Aerodrome tomorrow. Captain Jonnasen, of Thames, who made a successful descent at ITawke's Bay about a month ago, has been selected, and will use a parachute especially imported from America some months ago. In order to ensure that the parachute will not become entangled in the machine, Captain Jonnasen will climb from the cockpit down on to the undercarriage, and will make his jump while the machine is moving at about 70 miles an hour some 3000 ft. above the ground.

One of the most interesting events will bo "bombing the baby." It was originally intended to hold this event as a competition, but the experience at the Hawke's Bay pageant showed that the experienced pilot provided a real thrill for the crowd, by chasing the baby car around the field at an extremely low altitude, thus enabling him to bomb at close range. The club officials have therefore decided to select four pilots for the event. Tho bombs will consist of bags of flour, which will burst on striking either the ground or the car.

The programme will include "balloon strafing," an interesting competition in which the entrants are called upon to drive at floating balloons filled with hydrogen, and burst them with the propellers. The aerial derby and the landing competitions arc being held in the morning, as it was found that these events did not prove of great, interest to the public at previous pageants. A novel innovation in to-morrow's pageant will be the height-guessing competition, which will be open to tho public. Competitors are required to estimate the altitude of an aeroplane at, a given moment, which is denoted by the machine firing Verey lights and launching a parachute.

A total of 21 aeroplanes of different types will take part in the pageant, and many of the most skilful pilots of New Zealand Jiave entered for the events. The well-known New Zealand aviator, Mr. F. C. Chichester, of Wellington, who recently completed a flight from England to Australia, will attend the pageant in the Moth aeroplane he used on his long solo flight.

Arrangements have been made for adequate supervision of the traffic and special parking areas have been obtained.

An aerial picnic has been arranged for Sunday, when between 16. and 20 aeroplanes will fly from Auckland to Russell, where a "K.ipa Maori" is being provided by the local Maoris. The committee, by entertaining the visiting airmen in this way, will not only allow the Southern pilots to witness some of the most beautiful country in New Zealand, but also will give them a taste of Maori cooking.

VISITING AEROPLANES.

ARRIVAL IN AUCKLAND. Four aeroplanes from the South, which attended the Hawera Aero Pageant, arrived at the Mnngere Aerodrome yesterday in order to take part in the Auckland Aero Club's pageant which will be held to-morrow. Three of the machines were Moths, the other being an Avro-Avian light aeroplane. The machines took off from the Egmont racecourse at Hawera at about 11 a.m., and reached the Mangere aerodrome at 1.50 p.m., after a fine trip.

Miss Aroha Clifford, of Christchurch, piloted her own Avro-Avian machine, and was accompanied by a passenger. The other pilots and passengers were Captain G. Stedman and Mrs. Stedman, of Wellington ; Mr. F. R Dix and Miss Pauline Bennett of Marlborough; Captain J. 'Mercer, of Christchurch, and a passenger. Captain M. Buckley and Wing-Comman-der Grant. Dalton, Director of Air Ser vices, who also attended the Hawera pageant, flew to the Hobsonville air base in a Moth aeroplane, passing over the city a little in advance of the main party. They were accompanied by Flying-Officer W. Ruckeridgo, who piloted a DH 50 machine.