BOMBER'S TOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 25049, 13 November 1944, Page 4

BOMBER'S TOUR

KETUKN TO AUCKLAND DOMINION VISIT tNDS The visiting Royal Air Force Lancaster bomber was on view to the public at Whenuapai yesterday afternoon after completing its tour of the Dominion on Saturday. Although the decision to open the station to the public was not made until yesterday owing to the uncertainty of the Lancaster's itinerary after its delay at Oliakea, a crowd of about 2000 took the opportunity of inspecting one of Britain's famous bombers at close quarters. No buses were run to the aerodrome, but several hundred motor-cars visited the station during the two hours that it was open. Airmen were at work servicing the bomber during the day and the public was not permitted to approach the aeroplane beyond a roped-off enclosure. However, everyone was able to obtain a good view of the machine with its huge bomb bays and other- distinctive features. The Lancaster returned from its flight to southern stations shortly before seven o'clock on Saturday evening and it will remain at Whenuapai until it leaves on the next stage of its round-the-world flight. A tour of both the North and South Islands has been made since the bomber's arrival on November 2. On Saturday it flew over Taranaki towns to New Plymouth, where it was on view to the public for a short time. It left for Auckland late in the afternoon and passed over a number, of Waikato towns on the flight north. The captain of the bomber, WingCommander D. C. McKinley, D.F.C., K.A.F., said lie and his crew had enjoyed their brief tour of the Dominion very much. He hoped that if he was fortunate enough to visit New Zealand again it would be for a longer stay. FLOWERS BY AIR NEW PLYMOUTH TO LONDON ORCHIDS FOR MRS CHURCHILL (P.A.) NEW PLYMOUTH, Sunday The question whether it is possible to transport fresh flowers from New Zealand to London will be answered in the near future by the results of an experiment begun in New Plymouth yesterday. The experiment was undertaken by the captain of the Lancaster bomber iu New Zealand, Wing-Corn-mander D. C. McKinley, and a New Plymouth resident, Mr J. C. McDowall, as a result of their discovery of a common interest in flowers. Just as the Lancaster was about to leave the New airport yesterday, Mr McDowall arrived with a package containing two sprays of orchids grown at New Plymouth. The blooms were placed in the bomber, and shortly afterward the machine took off on the first stage of the flight that will end in Britain. The choice of orchids for the sample shipment arose from the fact .that Wing-Commander McKinley was surprised to hear that they were grown in New Plymouth. The blooms were obtained from the garden of Mr E. Douch. The stems of each spray were inserted in a potato to assist the flowers to remain fresh. The whole was wrapped in waxed paper before being placed in a cardboard box. The orchids have been addressed to the New Zealand High Commissioner in London, Mr W. J. Jordan. One spray is to be handed to Mrs Churchill, and the second is reserved for another distinguished person.