THE AIR PAGEANT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21267, 23 February 1931, Page 5

THE AIR PAGEANT.

AERO CLUB’S EFFORT. NOTABLE DISPLAY OF AIRCRAFT. MARRED BY UNFAVOURABLE CONDITIONS. The lately prodigal and benignant sun did his best for the Otago Aero Club on Saturday on the occasion of the South Island air pageant, which marked the fficial opening of the club’s new aerodrome at North-Taieri. in providing attractive summer conditions for the thousands of people who spent the day in an atmosphere of whirring propellers and roaring engines, but some imp of mischief must have possessed the winds of heaven for them to make such cruel sport of the club just at the time when the crowds were densest and the interest was keenest. During the morning flying conditions were very nearly ideal, though pilots exgertly described them as “ fairly bumpy, but there was an unwelcome change after lunch, when the wind played some sorry tricks, and spoilt the best part of the afternoon for the airmen. The programme was seriously affected, and only the lightest of the planes could take the sir. Several of the most spectacular events had to be postponed, and it was not until nearly 5 o’clock that conditions were again favourable for a good display. Nevertheless, despite such handicaps, an excellently varied programme was carried out, and the spectators, thousands <ff whom were witnessing their first air pageant, were thrilled by the stunting and manoeuvring of • a wide variety of aircraft. Happily there were no mishaps to mar so auspicious an occasion. On a ground 100 acres in area it is difficult to estimate an attendance, but it can safely be asserted that 10,000 will prove to be a-considerable underestimate of the crowd at the aerodrome on Saturday. Early on Saturday morning traffic was :Jieavy on the roads leading to the aerodrome, and from 11 a.m. onwards there was a continual stream of motor cars and buses moving in that direction. No fewer than 3000 persons travelled by the special trains provided by the Railways Department, and it is estimated that several hundreds took the ordinary suburban trains to Wingatui and walked the two miles to the aerodrome. Officials of the Otago Aero Club last evening could give no definite figures in respect to the attendance, but it was estimated that there were about 3000 cars in the parking places. The programme was commenced on time with a formation flight over the city at 8.4 S a.m., and the pilots who took part reported that flying conditions were then very fair. A't noon, when a second flight was made, conditions were still satisfactory, although disconcertingly “ bumpy ”at times. It was unfortunate, therefore, that so pronounced a, change for the worse should occur at about 1.30 p.m., when the crowds were arriving in hundreds. For the greater part of the afternoon conditions in the air were most unsatisfactory. Even the uninitiated could appreciate the fact that things were not all that they should be aloft merely by watching the rapidly changing cloud formations over and around Saddle Hill. The wind changed during the afternoon, and even the most competent of the pilots engaged in the pageant eyed the skies apprehensively until nearly 5 o clock. The spectators who made up the huge crowd could not be expected to realise the position fully, and for that _ reason not a few were disappointed with the emptiness of the air at frequent intervals during the afternoon. . But there was no lack of thrills. It ,-Was an invigorating sight to watch the ungainly but powerful Gloster Grebe fighter, an ugly looking wasp type of craft, whose 450 h.p. engine consumes about 23 gallons of petrol an hour. The roar of its radial engine was deafening, and under the control of its skilful it seemed capable of the most impossible ■antics. Then there was the big De Haviland 50 bomber and the Fairey 11IF. both of them inspiring looking objects as they rose from the ground with the ease and grace of the smallest of the Moths. There were good finishes in all -the races and omething very exciting in the close proximity of an aeroplane that seemed to be two or 200 feet above one s head, according to the degree of fright experienced when the pilots flew low, as they freqUTt had been anticipated that all the results, arrangements, and the host ? f pessary announcements connected with such ah occasion, would be broadcast by means hf special loud speaker installation but the apparatus was, like the aeroplanes, susceptible to wind, and could not be used This accounted also for the abandonment of the official opening which was to have taken place. . The arrangements for the day were in the hands of a large and willing working committee at the head of whom was the president (Mr H. E. Barrowclough). All the members of the club executive assisted in the arduous work of organisation and the thanks of the club are one. to them as well as to the visiting airmen, club pupils, and members and others who de- • voted a great deal of time to making the pageant a success. The programme attracted competitors from all parts of the Dominion, and the Defence Department assisted by sending down a large contingent of New Permanent Air Force planes with some of the best kown pilots in the Dominion. The Wellington, Wairarapa, Canterbury, Marlborough, Southland, and Otago Clubs were represented, and m addition there were several machines. including Mr QscarGardcn s Kia Ora ” plane in which he flew from Eng land to Australia. Among the best known pilots who took part were Squadronleader M. C. M'Gregor, Squadron-leader J. L. Findlay, Flight-lieutenant Buckley, Flying-officer E. G. Olson (pilot instructor to the Otago Aero Chi bLMrO scar Garden, Flight-lieutenant White, Flying officer J. H. M. Smith, and Flying-officer Owen (Australia). In all there were 22 aeroplones on the ground and more than enough pilots to man them. The judge of the various competitions was the Director of Air Services (Wingcommander Grant Dalton), who bad associated with him in the running off of the events Messrs H. L. Paterson Ivo Carr E. J. Hope, and other members of the executive.

FORMATION FLIGHTS. The formation flights were carried out over the city, and attracted general attention, since Saturday was the Mst occasion on which more than two or three planes had been seen above Dunedin at one time. It was an impressive sight to see the grouped machines hovering over the busy streets, gliding, diving, and zooming for several minutes before they disappeared again in the blue haze in the direction of the aerodrome. Sound and spectacle alike were novel. The second flight at mid-day was of equal interest, and, like its predecessor, served to show that weather conditions were more than favourable for the carrying out of the formidable programme that had been arranged. Pilots who took part in the flights reported on their return that flying conditions had been very satisfactory and that the visibility was exceptionally good, allowing of a perfect view of Dun-

eclin from the air, a sight which was of particular interest to those visiting pilots ■who were seeing the city from the air for the first time.

Although there were over 20 aeroplanes assembled at the aerodrome, not more than 14 took part in the formation flights. In the morning, shortly before 9 o’clock, the steady drone of high-powered engines brought people out of doors to find II machines in orderly formation passing over the city. Two others, seemingly detached from the main group, brought up the rear. At mid-day a dozen planes made up the squadron, while two others appeared to be acting independently. It had been hoped to stage a further formation flight shortly before 2 p.m., when nine professional pilots under the charge of a leader would go through a series of aerial exercises, but this event was abandoned owing to unfavourable conditions in the air. ALL TRANSPORT RACE.

The All Transport Race, which was disposed of by means of three heats and a final, was among the most interesting events of the day. It attracted seven entries, the competitors including some of the best-known pilots in the Dominion. The trophy in this event consisted of a cup presented by Mr F, G. Paape, to be held for one year, until won three times in succession, when it becomes the property of the winner. A miniature trophy goes with the cup. The conditions attaching to the race were fairly strenuous. Pilots had to run a distance of from 50 yards to 100 yards, push a wheelbarrow to a point where a motor car was waiting, drive to their planes, and finally fly a circuit in view of the public, the race finishing in the air.

The first heat was won easily by Flightlieutenant White, who was piloting a New Zealand Ai/ways (Otago) Hermes Spartan machine. He established a lead in the preliminary stages which he never lost, passing across the line well ahead of the field.

In the second heat the take-off was better than in the first, Squadrcin-leader J. p. Findlay getting away in his Moth in great style to secure a well-deserved win.

The third heat was won by the Otago pilot instructor, Flying-officer E. G, Olson, also flying a Moth plane. This was the most exciting heat of the race, the field getting away in splendid style. It was a great finish/ with the Otago pilot easily the best performer. The final was close and interesting, and was contested by Olson (Otago), Findlay (Wellington), Smith (Southland"), and White (Otago). All made good time over the preliminary stages of the race, and the four machines roared into action more or less together. Olson made a beautiful take-off, early establishing a lead on the circuit, which he maintained to the finish. Findlay was a good second, and White was third. All the competitors in this event reported bad flying conditions. Results: — First Heat. Flight-lieutenant White (Hermes - Spartan) 1 Second Heat. Squadron-leader J. L. Findlay (Moth) I Third Heat. Flying-officer E. G. Olson (Moth) .. 1 Final. Flying-officer Olson 1 Squadron-leader Findlay .. 2 Flight-lieutenant White ..3 OTAGO AERIAL DERBY. The Otago Aerial Derby over a fivemile course, flown in full view o the public, was thoroughly enjoyed by the crowd. It was an event for professional pilots, and was confined to light aeroplanes. There was something awe-in-spiring in the rush and roar of the machines as they passed overhead on the circuit, flying low and very fast. There were eight entries in this event, four pilots—Flight Lieutenant W. M. Buckley, Squadron-leader M. C. M'Gregor, Squadron-leader J. L. Findlay, and Flying Officer J. H. M. Smith—qualifying for the final. The race was one in which there were resident possibilities of an accident, but fortunately mishaps were avoided, although in one case it was only achieved by Plying Officer Olson by means of withdrawing from a heat in which he held a strong position. In the first heat flying a Moth, was an easy winner. He took the lead from the take-off, and never lost it, winning comfortably with an exciting burst of speed and a thrilling upward zoom with which he climbed high. The second heat was a Closely-contested event, in which Smith, in a Southland Aero Club Moth, made all the running to win well. In this event it appeared at one stage as if a collision between two planes was inevitable. Turning the north bend two planes were flying dangerously near each other, and consternation_ could be seen on the faces of many officials and pilots at the hangars, but trouble was avoided, and the heat was concluded without mishap. There was a very exciting finish to the third heat, Findlay flying a great race, exhibiting _ that remarkable skill in handling his plane and the rare absence of nerve which have made him one of the outstanding pilots of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force. Olson also flew a good circuit, but at one of the bends he found himself so unfortunately placed that he had either to withdraw or risk a serious collision with Findlay. In fact, for a moment some of the onlookers thought that the two machines had touched, but Olson banked steeply in the nick of time. He and Findlay were engaged in a stern tussle, and it soon became obvious that victory lay with the machine that could make the bend first. In a great race Findlay just got there ahead of the Otago man, who was thus placed in the position of having give up the race if trouble was to be avoided. It was reported on the ground that the local pilot instructor had been disqualified. This was not so.i The final was a rear race. The engines roared deafeningly as the planes swung low at the bends to rise noisily upwards as they opened out for the straight stretches. The take-off was a good one with every machine, and the four planes rose beautifully over the hangers almost simultaneously, Findlay just ahead of the other three. He swung gracefully round the first bend still in the lead, and although M'Gregor picked up on him a little in the next three miles, he was still a couple of lengths in the lead when they passed over the line, and, with a thrilling roar, rose rapidly into the blue. Smith was close up third and Buckley well back fourth. Squadron-leader Findlay, there-> fore, holds the Sir John Roberta cup for the ensuing year. This trophy, of which there is also a miniature, becomes the absolute property of a single pilot only when it has been worn three times in succession. Results;— First Heat. Squadron-leader M. C. M'Gregor (Moth) .. 1 J Second Heat. Flying-officer J. H. M. Smith (Moth) 1 Third Heat. Squadron-leader J. L. Findlay (Moth) , 1 Final. , Squadron-leader Findlay .. 1 Squadron-leader M'Gregor,. .. 2 Flying-officer Smith 3 Flight-lieutenant Buckley .. 4 THE GRAND PARADE. There must have been well over 10,000 people present, with hundreds still arriving by bus and car, when the piece de resistance of the day was staged in the form of a grand parade, in which 20 machines participated. The aeroplanes taxied round the large ground, close in to the boundaries, so that the crowd had a perfect view of each type as it passed. The variety of planes was one of the fgptures of the display, inasmuch as -they ranged from the squat and ugly Gloster Grebe singleseater fighter with her 450 h.p. Arm-strong-Siddeley Jaguar engine to the smallest Gipsy Moth with a 100 h.p. D.H. Gipsy engine. Squadron-leader J. L. Findlay, at the joy stick of the powerful Gloster Grebe, led the procession, and was the first to take off. He demonstrated that beauty of line and slender appearance are not necessary to aircraft. The dark flat nose of the Grebe, with its huge radial engine and enormous propeller, took the air in the most astonishing fashion. Only 100 yards’ run was required for its ascent, and it climbed w-tb a sureness and speed unequalled by any other, plane on the ground. Rising rapidly to 2000 or 3000 feet, at times seeming to climb almost perpendicularly, the powerful plane eventually straightened out and circled at terrific speed, the while the other craft, large and small, tiny Moth and Spartan, De Havilland 50, Fairey 11 IF, Avro-Avian, and Bristol Fighter, rose from the ground in quick succession. When the whole squadron had taken the air the machines circled majestically above the crowd before they returned to the drome to take part in the landing competition, the object of which ■was to determine the accuracy with which , pilots could land at a given spot. The 1 laurel in this connection went to Squad-

ron-leader M'Gregor, piloting the great De Havilland 50 four-passenger plane, with its 260 h.p. Siddeley Puma engine. The grand parade was a memorable spectacle, all the more so because it was the first of its kind witnessed by the great majority of those who were present. AEROBATICS. Proceedings during the afternoon were enlivened at intervals by the stunting and aerobatics of some of the most competent airmen in the Dominion. Flying-officer Olson gave a thrilling demonstration of aerobatics and inverted flying, going through such movements as spinning, looping, rolling off the top of the loop, flick rolling, half rolling, slow rolling, inverted flying, and falling leaf, all of which were clearly explained by illuminating diagrams in the official programme. Later there were competitive events of a similar nature, in which both Flying-officer Olson and Squadron-leader M'Gregor distinguished themselves. M'Gregor amazed and thrilled the crowd with l}is intrepid stunting and the seemingly impossible feats he achieved, and among the ranks of the initiated around the hangars he excited unqualified admiration for the cool daring and skill he displayed. His complete lack of nerve and perfect understanding of his craft and its handling made his performance a memorable one. Flying-officer Olson was no less competent, and presented an equally varied repertoire to the delighted crowd. The judge, in making hie awards, found that he could not differentiate between these two pilots, and' placed them first (equal), a decision which appeared to be very popular. Another item on the programme that attracted a lot of attention was the aerial dog fight in which Squadron-leader M'Gregor and Flight-lieutenant Buckley were the combatants. The make-believe nature of the struggle detracted considerably from the spectacle, but it was interesting to watch the manoeuvres of the two airmen as they circled, rolled, sideslipped, zoomed and dived to secure position. Competent judges of this class of warfare described the combat as an exceedingly able exposition of aerial warfare. PARACHUTE DESCENT ABANDONED. Considerable disappointment was felt at the decision to abandon the parachute descent" in which a dummy, appropriately dubbed as Major Sandbags, was scheduled to give a demonstration of this hazardous and exciting method of evacuating aeroplanes in mid-air. Squadronleader M’Gregor, piloting the De Haviiand 50, set out from the hangar with “ Major Sandbags ” suspended from beneath the cabin, all ready to be dropped from the air. The machine taxied the length of the landing field to turn for the take-off, but on reaching the far end a mishap occurred to the “ Major ” and bis parachute, which made the carrying out of the demonstration impossible. BOMBING THE BABY CAR. The exhibition of bombing in which there were no fewer than 14 entries, was a very successful event. The target was a baby car driven in the most erratic fashion all over the ground. The man at the wheel proved a very competent driver, wbo gave all the airmen a good run for tbeir money. The bombs consisted of paper bags of flour, which were hurled at the car from the air, each competitor being allowed four shots. Points were awarded by the judge, who travelled in the car, 50 points being allowed for a direct hit, and 50 points for each bomb less one point for every yard by which the target was missed. As the “ bombs ” struck the ground the paper containers burst and there was a small cloudy of flour to show where it had landed. The odds proved to be all in favour ot the tiny car as not one of the competitors registered a direct hit, although Squadronleader Findlay was very near it two or three times. He won the competition easily. His first shot landed a foot from the car. and his second 10 feet, but hie last two bombs were excellent shots, falling within two feet of the target. The result of this event was as follows:: — Squadron-leader Findlay ~ 1 Flight-lieutenant White .. 2 R. J, Sinclair 3 White’s nearest shot fell five feet from the ear and Sinclair’s best was seven feet away. LANDING COMPETITIONS. The landing competitions arranged were carried out very late in the afternoon, owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the wind. They attracted a lot of interested among the initiated, but the average spectator, unable to appreciate the fine points of the operation, found little to enthrall him in the event. The competition was divided into two section, the first for \ Grade pilots with over 40 hours’ solo thing and the second for pilots with under 40 hours’ solo flying. There were good entries and all the competitors gave a good account of themselves. By this time flying conditions had improved greatly and were almost ideal. The results were: — A SECTION. (Seven entries.) R. Taylor (Canterbury) 1 F. J. M'Donald and C. R. Bush (Wei-

lington), equal 2

B SECTION. (Six entries.) I. S. M'Donald (Otago) 1 S. Gilkison (Southland) 2 Mr J. Trengroye presented a challenge cup for competition by pilots with fewer than 40 hours’ flying, \vhich was won by I. S. M'Donald. OTHER EVENTS. The balloon chasing was abandoned owing to the lateness of the hour. It was timed for early in the afternoon, but wind conditions were unfavourable for the release of the balloons. A height-estimating test, for which the club offered a first prize of £8 8s and. a second prize of £2 2s, attracted hundreds of entries. A pilot took an aeroplane up and the public was asked to estimate the height to which it climbed. The machine carried a sealed barograph which was not opened until Saturday evening, so that even the pilot could not tell the exact altitude. The result of' the competition could not be announced last evening, as all the estimates had not been examined, but it was stated that one of the cards bore an estimate only three feet in error. VISITING MACHINES DEPART. There was a good deal of activity at the aerodrome yesterday morning, when most of, the visiting airmen were making arrangements to return home, and during the day groups of two or three machines were seen to pass over the city. At about 11 a.m. Flight-lieutenant White left with the New Zealand Airways Hermes Spartan, and he'was accompanied by the Wairarapa Aero Club’s two planes and two machines from the Wellington Aero Club. Early in the afternoon Flying-officer Smith and Mr S. Gilkison left for Invercargill with the Southland Aero Club s two machines, to be followed halt an hour later by the Canterbury contingent. THE PAGEANT BALL. A SUCCESSFUL FUNCTION. The beautiful Tudor Hall at the Savoy was a fitting setting for the pageant ball in the evening, which was one of the most successful and enjoyable functions of its kind held in Dunedin for many months. Appropriate decorations provided an atmosphere relevant to the occasion, and the music and catering were in the usual perfect style of the Savoy. The dominant colours in the decorations were the blue and silver of the club. Scores of aeroplanes, large and- small, were suspended from the ceiling, and the whirr of propellers made the display unusually effective. Between 350 and 400 couples made the most of the admirable facilities available in Tudor Hall. During the evening the president of the Otago Aero Club (Mr H. E. Barrowclough)' formally presented the trophies won during the afternoon.