FORCED LANDING

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 26, 31 July 1939, Page 10

FORCED LANDING

AIR FORCE BOMBER. MACHINE UNDAMAGED (Special to the "Evening Post.") j PALMERSTON N., This Day.The return of-the. flight-of-Blackburn bombers which attended' .the air pageant on the occasion ■■of-;the. opening of the new clubhouse and hangar of the' Middle Districts Aero. Club at Milson on Saturday was not without incident, for one of them had to make a forced landing- on a paddock about seven miles from Shannon. Under the command cf Squadron- , Leader Gibson three bombers belong? ing to the Wellington Squadron of the Territorial Air Force, gave a display of formation flying over the aerodrome and left for Rongotai again without landing. On reaching Shannon engine trouble was experienced by one of them, and it became necessary to make a landing. A paddock on the property of Mr Webb near the junction of the Koputaroa Stream and the Manawatu River was selected and the machine was brought down safely. The three men forming the crew left for Wellington by motor-car. Although there are hedges around the paddock, which is 20 chains long, it is not expected that there will be any difficulty in taking off when the time comes for the machine to return to its base. A fuel blockage is thought to have been the cause of the trouble. It was stated last night that the engine has been running since the machine landed. The 'plane was pegged down last night, and it was not known when it would be removed. The Wellington Aero Club's Waco machine was slightly damaged at Milson yesterday by a trailing aerial wire of an Air Force machine which was flying over the ground. The wire ripped the fabric on the tail and on one upper wing. Repairs are necessary before the Waco can leave. Several planes belonging to the Canterbury Aero Club were forced to return to Milson yesterday afternoon owing to adverse weather conditions over Cook Strait. Owing to Rongotai also being considered unsafe, Wellington machines were unable to make the return flight yesterday.