GREAT AIRCRAFT DISPLAY.

Timaru Herald, Volume CI, Issue 15444, 5 September 1914, Page 3

GREAT AIRCRAFT DISPLAY.

PROFESSIONAL FLIGHT BEFORE THE KING. The part played by the aircraft in to-day's process.on. past the King was as successful as it was beautiful to see (says a spectator of the great Brit.sii .navai. review iust before the war broke out). Their mother-slip, the torpedogunboat Niger, Lieutenant-Commander A. T. Muir, from winch I have again been privileged to v.cw the proceedings was anchored duo west of the Warner lightsh.p, «> that the procession passed us and continued several mi.es farther before it came to tho Royal Yacht. Tlie first sign cf activity m tne air was the sight of tue Maurice Farman, wh-ch at 10.25 signalled by wireless to Calsliot the departure of the last ship from Sp.thead. Tho seapianes were prompt to 'answer tho call. Twenty minutes later came tho first of theui, two 160 h.p. Shorts, flying at- loOCftt. A whole string of machines followed untn. by 11.15 one could count a dozen in the air over the ships. Sixteen a.together by—three 160 h.p., Shorts, lour 100 h.p. Shorts, four 120 h.p. Henry Farmans, three 100 h.p. Maurico Farmans, one .100 h.p. Sopwith, rnd the SO h.p. Sopw.th "Batboat." The air was full of a hum as of d.stant tmosii.i.g mach.nes. Tliev sped past ns to tllie presence of tho King. On reaplimg %he Royal yacht, some flew aver lier, ' others bank ng sharply, swung round to the westward m a wide circuit. Presently they began to return, travelling home down wind at a. speed of SO m.les an hour, wh.le the gunbjats i'orm.ng the rear of tho procession continued cutv.'ards at 11 knots. Two seaplanes, and two only, la/led to acccnnpiish tlieir mission, invo.T.ng as it did, a fl.ght of some 50 miles. One of the leading Shorts alighted beforo reatiliing tho Royal Yacht. Another came down near us on the way back. Torpedo-boats were quickly standing by, though there was not the least reason to be anx.ous for anyone's safety, and soon they were being towed home at a comfortable 10 knots. In the one case "engine trouble" the bugbear of the present-day pilot, m tho other a brcken petrol pipe, had been the cause of the incident. AN OFFICER'S EXPLOIT. Then came the turn of the naval aeroplanes. At 11.20 the same three nia.Lh.nes whose station-keep ng had del ghted us on Saturday—an 8J h.p. Sopw.th leading, w.tlh two B.E.s behind In wedge formation—came over from Hilsea at about 2000 feet. On reaching the Royal Yacht, Wng Commander Sampson, on one of the B.E.'s fell back, while his companions went on, and descended in as steep a spiral as you could w.sli to see, dropping ir.eanwh lo somo kind of smoky projeo tile. Then, swerving aloft again, he joined the others, returning home beneath a second party who were just coming out. These wers an SO h.p. Bristol, a 50 h.p. Avro, and a 50 h.p. Short, and they performed various evolutions wh.le the R.yal Yacht was preparing to go out to sea. When one remembers tlhat these were all ord.nary land machines, fly ng miles otit over the water, the sporting character of the proceedings will b? obv ous. In its pe.-fect surroundings, br.glit sun, blue water, gentle Breeze, and tho glory of England's naval might beneath, it was tile most enjoyable thing of its kind that can bo imagined.

A SIGHT FOR "ANCIENT MARINERS.'' Reflecting on the scenes of this meni-orab-o week-end, 1 hnd mysielf, on tne ono hand, marvo.lmg at the wo.k that is be ng dono wit-u tho rud m^_tarv machines, wh.ch are at present t'nu best we- can get, and, on the other, rtai.s.ng .n some degree the great future wn.ch ues before naval a..ru-a..t. Whatever oise he may have done, uic F.rst Lord of the Admira.ty deserves wol of h.s couna-y f.,r l'jo manner m wh.ch lie has oncoiuaged tho Koyai Naval Air Semce. An immense amuuit of money has to bo spent, an immense amount of oi gan.s.it.on has to be done, before we can regard complacently our aer.al preparations, .in wh.ch we shah find presently the keenest of inals But 1 th.nk that even t'hose 'arcient mariners" —and there are still penty of them—who "don't bel'.-eve in t'he th. ng" must have been .nade a i.ttle anx.ous by what they have seeu in the past few days. If the country will do its duty ar.cl give us tho ma- thanes (we have thy nien) we want, the F.eet to be inspected bv the Iv.ng a few years hence may "bo an altogether different kind of lleet from that wh.ch passed before li.m to-day.