AIR PAGEANT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22830, 14 March 1936, Page 9

AIR PAGEANT

SOUTH ISLAND COMPETITIONS PERFECT FLYING CONDITIONS FOURTEEN CLUBS REPRESENTED Not since it was opened has the Otajro Aero Club's aerodrome at North Taieri presented such a scene of activity as wus the case yesterday, when aeroplanes from every part of the Dominion arrived to take part in the official South Island air pageant. Flying conditions were almost perfect, the only drawback being that in the earlier part of the day, an entire absence, of wind rendered it difficult for the heavier machines to obtain any assisting lift in their take-off. The three events held during the day —the competition for the Bledisloe Trophy, the Herald Trophy, and the Gloucester Trophy—were devoid of any spectacular feature, and the attendance was, in consequence, confined mainly to officials and a few hundred spectators, who were sufficiently enthusiastic to derive considerable interest from the wonderful display of aircraft ranged along two sides of the ground. ARRAY OF AIRCRAFT There was a remarkable array of aircraft —red planes, white planes, black and white planes/ and even a yellow plane, all lending a touch of colour to the orderly rows of craft less gaily garbed in the orthodox aluminium. From 11 a.m. onwards the machines continued to arrive until at 5 o'clock last evening there were, on the aerodrome, 32 plane* representative of 14 different clubs, and seven New Zealand Air Force machines from Wigram. They presented, even to a layman, an interesting study in types, and, in some cases, a remarkable illustration of the development of modern aircraft. The big, bull-nosed VVildebeoste bombers, the waspish' Hawker Tomtit, the dainty little Miles-Hawk, and even the homely Gipsy Moths all gave the im prcssion that they possessed a personality of their own, and especially noticeable was the air of spic and span efficiency about every one of them. AN INTERESTING ARRIVAL An interesting arrival during the afternoon was the Miles-Hawk low-wing monoplane in which the late Squadronleader M'Gregor and Mr H. C. Walker, in the Centenary Air Race, broke the England-Australia reco'd for light aeroplanes. The machine is now the property of the Wellington Aero Club, a-)d yesterday, piloted by Mr Walker, it rmfde the flight from Wellington to North Taieri in a minute under three hours. Mr Walker will to-day make passenger flights in this famous machine, and the proceeds will be devoted to the M'Gregor National Benefit Fund.

TO-DAY'S PROGRAMME On account of calculation involved in making up the results of the Bledisloe, Gloucester and Herald Trophy competitions, the winners of these events will not be known until *o-day. Several other competitions will be included _in to-day's programme, and in addition there will be staged such spectacular events as a parachute descent, a military display, aerobatics, and Air Force driil and formation flying. Not the least interesting feature of the day's proceedings will be a formation flight over the city at 32.15 p.m. by a 1: the machines engaged in the pageant. The pageant will be officially opened at 2 o'clock this afternoon by the Mayor (the Rev. E. T. Cox).