SAFETY IN THE AIR

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19616, 21 October 1925, Page 7

SAFETY IN THE AIR

SPANISH AUTOGYRO PLANE.

A SUCCESSFUL DEMONSTRATION.

Pres* Association—Ev Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON October 19

Sir Samuel Hoa.re (Air Minister), Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Trenchard (Chief of the Air Staff), Air Marshal Sir John Salmond, and many Air Force specialists were keenly interested spectators of further tests of the autogyro plane at Farnborough this morning. The inventor has not yet devised a starter for his windmill vanes, which were wound up and spun like a top when the signal to take off was given. During . the demonstrations Cant-sin Courtney showed the remarkable stability of the machine. Finallv he shut off the power and let the plane fall vertically for 400 ft with the vanes revolving just as if the machine were crashing, but it alitrhted with only a slivht bump, which did no damage. Captain Conrtnev told the journalists that such a machine was infinitely safer than an ordinary aeroplane because the vanes give stability.A. and N.Z. Cable.

NEW AIR FORCE OFFICIALS

LONDON, October 8.

Air Vice-Marshal H. R. M. BrookePopham has been appointed to the command of Britain’s air fighting squadrons, and Air Vice-Marshal J. M. Steel to command the bombing squadrons. Both will bo under the command of Sir John Salmond, who has been Air-Marshal since 1923.