NEW BOMBING PLANES

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1935, Page 4

NEW BOMBING PLANES

TEST OF VILDEBEESTES GOVERNOR-GENERAL ATTENDS. t MACHINES BEHAVE EXCELLENTLY. SHORT TAKE-OFF RUN REQUIRED. By Association. Auckland, Last Night. The first visit he has paid to the Hobsonville Air Hase was made by the Gov-ernor-General, Viscount Galway, this morning, when two of the new Vickers Vildebeeste bombing aircraft were flown in further trials. The demonstration was also attended by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. J. G. Cobbe, the General Officer Commanding the NeW Zealand Forces, Major-General Sir W. Sinclair Burgess, Colonel Duigan, officer commandijjg the Northern Command, Com- < modore the Hon. E. R. Drummond, Commodore of the New Zealand Division of Royal Navy, and Wing-Commander T. M. Wilkes, Director of Aviation in New Zealand. , On his arrival Viscolmt Galway was met by Squadron-Leader L. M.< Xsatt, Officer in charge of the base, and a Royal salute was given. His Excellency then inspected the guard of honour formed by various details at the base under the command of Flight-Lieutenant Wallingford. - After the • inspection of the guard the Vice-Regal party, followed by the Ministerial party, visited the seaplane hangar and the slipway, inspecting I the Fairey HI.F machine and the Cutty Sark flying boat. • • Two of the four Vildebeeste machines which had been assembled were then lined up with three moths outside the new hangar fOr land planes. One of the Vildebeestes was the one -which had been flown in a previous test by Squad-ron-Leader Isitt, while the assembly or the other had just been completed and it had not been in the air. The engine of the untested machine was warmed up , and then Squadron-Leader Isitt took off in n, followed immediately by FlightLieutenant Wallingford with the other plane. . ... . Both machines, which are built to cany heavy military loads and were Unloaded, took off with Astonishingly > short runs and showed quick climbing powers. After gaining height they crossed and recrossed the aerodrome, swooping down low over the Vicd-:Regal party. -Squadron-Leader Isitt then landed and Flight-Lieutenant Wallingford, after diving low ’ twice across the field, followed down as soon as the landingground waS clear. . Throughout the -exhibition great in- .. terest in the machines and their performance was shown by the GovernorGeneral and the members of the other official parties, while the tests were also keenly scrutinised by Sir Keith Smith, who was present on behalf of Vickers (Aircraft) Ltd., builders of the planes. AU seemed impressed with the very short runs the machines required, for taking off and landing, and with the ease with which they could be manoeuvred. i ’ .