No Parachuting

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 641, 18 April 1929, Page 1

No Parachuting

DEFENCE DEPT/S BAN

Disappointed Airman (From Our Oxen Correspondent) THAMES, To-day. IT seems to me the Defence? Department does not want to encourage aviation at all,” said Mr. Noah Jonassen, when informed that the department had prohibited his parachute descent at the air pageant at Auckland on Saturday.

“JJHIS is the third time I have been. blocked by the Defence people from giving an exhibition, and yet they keep on asking New Zealanders to develop an air sense,” said Mr. Jonassen. “It is not as if I was inexperienced,” continued Mr. Jonassen. “for before the war I spent a lot of time and money experimenting, especially in ballooning, and it is in this connection that I realised the value of the parachute. The department did not recognise its value then, but it is sufficient answer to say that the parachute is now an essential part of the equipment of every army plane in the world.” Mr. Jonassen went on to say that he had been approached by the Aero Club to give an exhibition at the pageant and had come to terms, and he had gone to a lot of trouble getting the parachute and other gear in order, i only to be blocked by the

Defence Department, which gave absolutely no reason whatever for the step. This made it seem as if he had got frozen feet, which be wished to deny, and he stated he was anxious to give a display of parachuting and trapeze work any time he was allowed. Mr. Jonassen is an experienced parachutist and has frequently given displays in the Old Country, and he points out that Lieutenant Quiverell lias been not only allowed, but given every assistance, by the Australian Federal Government, as well as the States, to stage similar exhibitions all over Australia. Also, he says, parachuting stunts are part of the regular work of American Army pilots and observers, and he considers both he and the Aero Club are very badly treated by the Defence Department, particularly as the department had allowed the stunts to be broadcast, and then had prohibited them.