Keen Interest.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20340, 25 June 1934, Page 6

Keen Interest.

Aerial Display

Big Crowd at Wigram Aerodrome. H UN DR EDS of and bicycles parked around Wigram Aerodrome yesterday gave an indication of the size of the crowd that attended the Csnterbury Aero Club’s second field day. The attraction of flights in the club’s new Fox Moth proved a strong one and 68 passengers went aloft in the machine during the afternoon. Mr J. C. Mercer was pilot. Passengers were also carried by Mr R. A. Kirkup, the assistant instructor to the club, and Mr J. J. Busch, who flew two Moth machines. The club’s third Moth was used by club pilots and their friends. Most of the entertainment in the afternoon’s programme was provided by Mr Kirkup, who flew ZK-AAW, which has recently been rebuilt, and looked very smart in its new coat of bright red. Besides pleasing the crowd with an exhibition of bombing a moving motor-car and scoring one direct hit, Mr Kirkup provided thrills with an exhibition of aerobatics and crazy flying. He handled his smoothly, and looped, spun and rolled with the utmost ease. The second round of the efficiency competition for the cup given by the president (Mr J. C. Guinness) was decided. Pilots had to show their skill in landing their machines within a required area. E. Gant was: placed first. Miss N. Ro'untree second and E. Bates third. Mr W. Dini, a member of the ground staff of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, again had his single-seater monoplane on the ground, and the tiny machine attracted a great deal of interest, especially when the owner took it up. At one stage there were six machines in the sir, the extra one being the dark-green Moth owned by Messrs H. and B. Armstrong, of Dannevirke, who flew down to Christchurch last week to undergo a special refresher course at Wigram Aerpdrcme as members of the New Zealand Air Force.