AEROPLANES FOR WAR

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7848, 10 July 1911, Page 8

AEROPLANES FOR WAR

Mr Balfour certainly gavo tho aeroplane a lino advertisement by taking a trip with Mr Grahame-White at the Hendon demonstration of flying for military purposes, organised by tne Parliamentary Aerial Defence Committee. His flight (says the "Argus" London correspondent on May 12tb) made the great feature of the evening newspaper posters. Every bod v looked next day for pictures of him and Mr McKenna about to fly, and aeroplanes were once more tho universal topic. Lord Curzon took a flight with Mr Grahame-White on another day. Opinions differ as to whether valuable public men axe justified in taking such risks. Thero is no doubt of the eliect of tho demonstration upon a company which comprised, tho Duke of Connaught, Lord Roberts, Sir A. K. Wilson and over 200 M.P.’s, including the Liberal, Unionist and Labour leaders. Most notable was the flight of Mr Hamel to Aldershot and 'back, a distance of sixty-four miles, in two hours, taking a message from Lord Haldane and bringing a reply. Although delayed at Aldershot, he beat the telegraph easily. The V Pall Mail Gazette ’* had tho enterprise to provide him with copies of its issue, printed on the ground, describing his start from Hendon, and on the return with copies describing his arrival at Aldershot, printed there. Scouting and bomb-dropping were also demonstrated, and there was fancy manoeuvring over the heads of the crowd, which many deprecate as sure to lead to a disaster some day. Mr Drexel, starting for Aldershot, came to grief owing to careless crossing of his wires by the mechanics. The machine dived head-fore-most, damaging itself and gavo Mr Drexel a bad shaking. The two Short biplanes, which arrived from the Isle .of Sheppey, where naval officers are learning aviation, and circled near the Hohenzollern in the Medway early in the morning before the Kaiser appeared on dock, put in another neat little advertisement.