GREAT AIR PAGEANT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20604, 1 July 1930, Page 11

GREAT AIR PAGEANT.

SPECTACLE AT HENBON.

NEW FIGHTING MACHINES.

REMARKABLE PERFORMANCES.

By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright. British Wireless. HUGBY, June 29.

The 11th annual display by the Royal Air Forco at Hendon yesterday was a superb demonstration of the great progress made by British aviation, military and civil.

At least 150,000 peoplo paid for admission and the principal enclosures were crowded with distinguished personag;es, Prince George representing the King .and Queen. Prince and Princess Takamatsu, of Japan, were also present. The display maintained a remarkable, unbroken record of freedom from accidents. Three squadrons of fighting aeroplanes and three squadrons of bombers—altogether 54 machines—gave a magnificent exhibition of concerted manoeuvring and fighting. A perfect display of. formation flying was given by the City of London day bomber auxiliary squadron in Wapitis. It spoko well for the hard practice which the pilots, who are business men, had carried out in the evenings and at weekends. New Interceptor Fighters. A parade of new types of machines was chiefly important for examples of the latest interceptor fighter which is a class peculiar to Britain, called for by the need for machines which can climb quickly enough to challenge fast enemy bombers of whose approach only a few minutes' warning may be possible. The performance of these interceptor fighters was approximately: A speed of 200 miles an hour and a climb to 10,0C0ft, in five minutes, to 15,000 ft. in eight minutes, and to 20,000 ft. in twelve minutes.

The Hawker-Hornet machine, which is the supreme type, could not be on view, but there was a Fairey-Firefly, the second type of approximately tlie same performance and a Do Havilland 77 with, its Napier 300 horse-power engine, which is air-cooled, this engine marking a new departure, which may prove technically very important.

The airship RlOl was taken from Cardington again yesterday morning and flown over London on her way to take part .ill the pageant. A rehearsal of the display provided spectacular items illustrating flying at its best and gave evidence of technical progress far in advance of any achieved in one year in the history of this mobile service. Speed o! 200 Miles an Hour. There were 16 new, or practically new, types of aircraft, of which the military fighters showed speeds of more than 200 miles an hour at, heights of over three mile 3. That speed, which only a few years ago would have been considered creditable in a Schneider trophy racer, just capable of holding the pilot, is to-day combined with such essential military qualities as a roomy cockpit, electrically heated, clothing, oxygen apparatus, two machine-guns and ammunition and possibly wireless apparatus as well. While RlOl was flying from Ca.rdin.gton to Hendon the opportunity was taken to transmit weather maps to her by wireless from Cardington. The experiment proved successful.