IMPERIAL AIR FLEET.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12889, 7 July 1913, Page 8

IMPERIAL AIR FLEET.

GIFT OF MONOPLANE TO NEW ZEALAND. sni Joseph ward's first ■'... FLIGHT. (Correspondent Auckland "Star.") ■ LONDON; Maf 23. | SVlariy visitors gathered at the Hendon aerodrome yesterday afternoon to witness an interesting, and, in its way, iiC'vel. ceremony. An aeroplane, as a . rule, is launched on its career of. activity iii." quite unostentatious fashion, being just dragged out,: of its shed and sent aloft. But yesterday's event was of a different^nature, and as such, entitled formal ceremonyJ It consisted- in • the christening and "presentation to the Government of New Zealand of a military monoplane which /has been accepted from the Air Committee. The occasion wr.s the first time in the history of aviation when such a ceremony lias been perforcnedj and the aeroplane was appropriately named Britannia. The madr'ne, a 80-h.p. Bleriot two-seated monopiano of tho latest type, has already "achieved a record flight from "Dover to Cologne, ia distance of 340 miles, in four hours and eighteen minutes without stopping and in rough ■weather. The pilot was 'Mr. Gustave. Hamel, «r,d he was: accompanied by Mr. Frank Dupree as passenger, the grand total flying weight being 1,7201b5. It is intended to use the machine for reconnoitring and cb&eiVation purposes. The objects of th» Imperial Air Fleet Committee are to draw th c .attention of the Empire to bhe imperative need of aerial defence, and to provide complementary first u^'+" of an Imperial Air Fleet for tile aerial defence of the Overseas Dominions.

The christening ceremony was performed by liady'Dcsborough, the-jme.oi the. President of the 1.A.F.C./in the jiT^jyetice-of a- laf-ge muster of interested FpecfcatorSj ' including Ixwd Charles Beresford, M.P., Sir Joseph W^rd^dy^ :W<ird; andM-% Ward Sir Jaouip Biick-' anan. 'tHeAßm.'\T. : "Mackenzie,; pigh Co m misskmef for ; New Zealand, 'acer Mi's Mackenzie/. Mr and Mrs Wra-y Pallfeer, audjMr ; 'W. toward. VLiady Besborqugh, in harning the Britannia, broke with a hammer a bottle of,wine huiig.over the front of the machine,, £ady Desborough w-os afterwards presented with a bouquet by Miss Ward/ with -a pendant of New Zealand jade 6y, iMiss Mackenzie, and with a replica of the pennant which the Britannia.is to fly, by Mr Ooward. Mr. Mackenzie, in accepting the aero-, plane and, in thanking.Lqdy Desbqrough for performing the ceremony * said he vms qxiite sure: that ttie people of New Zealand' wouldiregard it as a very striking honour. In this country aeroplanes, were associated with defence, in war, but thJe. country t4 which: the iriacliino was going, " those j green islands amid glistening seas," had, more to do with peace than 'with war^ and the Britannia might well prove iat forerunner of easier means of comniuriication between the islands. ( New Zealand was one of the healthiest 'ccfentri.os in the w-orJdj.,»nd,,..i^,iWas,.the.; r^anjitiing ground for health, for' the; Australians. It migtefedome'thesana--jtprium of the Southern Seas, and it was "possible that they would sooti see4nn an- ; iijiuncement sijuck up in 'Melbourne ad- ! re raising the voyage of a. clipper of. the | air'■'.to:;''New Zealand. He offered N«w:. ' Zealand'js;-grateful thanksfor the gift. . Sir Joseph Ward, who also returned thanks," described .the'"Otcasion1 as*"'historic. The nteu formed* the Imperial Air Fleet Committee were not acting from any Sentimental reasons. They were undera stern belief that; the future of, this, great old country would depend m a: considerable measure urjon, 9ur/aeroplanes., and the skill with .which, they wore managed, as accessories to our land ami sea forces. The whole of the com-

mittee': recognised the Valuable worik -that Lprd Desborbtigh -had"'done in this connection. Thesse aerialmachines wow. f.o be of the utmost .imporfance to all countries that flew the British flag. ... Lord " Desborough, replying on" behalf of Lady Desboroughj '-said that-those associated with him felt it was a very high honour that Ne,w< Zealand should be tho iirsi; to accept of their aeroplanes, n Their,; object wia to, encojirage-the Do[■mmwWiu starring ; a( fleet'Mucbywould proteet-.the oversea ends of our great triide routes. p& hoped tho other Dominions would follow'tiie'e&ample.'set by -Nev. Zealand, in' that- great' Imperial an- fleet movement. • ' v. THRILLS ALQFT. M/ Gustav ■ Hamei, who hadflown th© machine from 'Dover to Cologne a few weeks ago on,his great non-stop flight, next took his seat kit the wheel, and, gaily decked out with little pennants, the-monoplane was"-Whirled aloft amid the,cheers of the spectators, which were renewed, when, later, M. Hameisuccessively took up Sir Joseph Ward and Lord Resborough as passengers. /When: Sir Joseph \Wai-d1 arrived at..; Ff'ndon he had no more idea of flying than the man in the moon, but he yielded readily to temptation* when it cam© aio.bg,. much to the disquietude of Lady Ward and his daughter. The afternoon wnisjrby no means an ideal one for flying, thowind being rather.puffy below and niore so aloft. M. Baniel took" Sir Jo.seph for quite a-quarter ©f ah hour's circular tour, flying at a heightof between 700 and bUOlt during tiie greatei part of tho time, and attaining ai maximum cspeed of nearly yo iniies an hour, tin- Joseph thoroughly enjoyed the lUghjy.. but he had a couple of thrills tfiat In* could hn/v dispensed with. T.\v;ec —almost in the same spot— tho iilei lot ivhen turning tilted to an alarming extent; indeed, for tho moment Sir Joseph -tiiougnt they were bound to capsize. To those below thes-j tilts of the machine were plainly observable. They d!<i not appear to be quite no bad a& tacy really were, but we wore all very gkid when Hamul brought the Uleriot sak-Iy to earth., and admiration of Sir •JCMpa'a pluck and relief at tho voyagers' sale return found expression in v hearty burst or" cheering. From certain remarks made after the flight, I gatiicr -that the machine tipped to an v.ngte of about 45dcg. on o;io occasion, v.lnch is a greater deviation from the li.onzont.al than evtin a dariiig and rex-' porionced flyer jiko M. Hamei oares to .occur, especially when carrying .a .passenger with Ho. previous experience of aena! navigation. Happily Sir Joseph \\ aru kept cool as the proverbial-nucam-ber when tho Bleriot tilted- laid j;avo F. IlV t ,a-fS!g^t,d("l'uSli™P«» «f -Mother H-iirUi bOOft below.