AIR FLIGHTS IN ENGLAND.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXVIV, Issue 54, 9 February 1916, Page 6

AIR FLIGHTS IN ENGLAND.

A HAWERA BOY’S EXPERIENCES. A Hawera boy (C. E. Glayney) who went to England with a view to qualifying for the British Aerial Service, gives in a letter to his father, Mr J. Blayney, High street, a very interesting account of some of his experiences, inter alia,: he says:— Last Saturday I was taken on my lirst flight overland. This was a long pner-ftom Coventry to Farnboro, over '.OO miles as the crow flies. The journey was full of incident, too, as, although we left Coventry with flue weather, very rough and squally came up after we had been away half an hour. At the end of the first hour rve were forced to land, a% we could make no progress through the hailstorms and small cyclones. After wo had landed we discovered we were near Banbury. We waited awhile and then ascended again. This time we got as far as Oxford, when the gale again increased so much in violence that we had to land on the Cowley golf course. We hung over Oxford stationary for some time, as the force of the wind impeded oUr progress and neutralised the force of our 100 h.p. engine, ft was very bumpy, too. just here; that is. tlie atmosphere was full of pockets. Sometimes we would drop as much as 150 feet vertically and like a stone, without warning; at another time we would be lifted as high and just as suddenly. A quarter of an hour of this made me absolutely sick, airsick, I suppose you would say. We waited at Oxford for an hour and a-half, and then again ascended. This time we reached Farnboro all right; hqving left Coventry at 11.20 a.in., we finally reached Farnboro about 3 p.m. A memorable flight *<»• me. The lieutenant, who took me, said it was the worst day on which he had ever flown. Well, since then I have made two other flights with him—one last Thursday evening and one this morning. Last Thursday we left the Aerodrome about 4.10 p.m. and went to Rugby. We left it rather late in returning, and when we got back, it was P'etU well dark. T had, therefore, a view of the city-of Coventry* by night from above. Although all lights arcsupposed to lie dimmed and made to shine downwards, the place showed up plainly to us, 10 miles a wav, and we followed a train in by the light from the furnace lire. It seems a farce to darken the carriage lights and d-aw the blinds and then leave the Ogb from the engine, which is the stn.i’g- ' est, uncovered. The flight this morning was of spectacular kind—at lead lor the visietors to the Aerodrome. It inclined “spirals.” “wing tip turn;,” “switch backs,” “nose dives,” and everything except looping the loop, which hatbeen prohibited here. K it wore m, for this, we should have done tha also. Anyway, for me it was most sensational, but I enjoyed it. It was half an hour of thrills. See.ng that I could still walk about alter it, -h has promised me that nex "j 1 he will do some evolutions w u< i m considers will make me feel rrt ‘™ ■for two or tliroe days. I *n.d A richt- I’ve got to get used to it. an Ilgnx.iveK - lioutenthe sooner the bettei . ant has plenty of skill and conhdt me so I am quite sale with him, <IIK has home ties. too. which make careful. I took some photo?, bgt U- ■ thev will not be much, as this nme year in England does not Iml • favornblv to photography owing >o poor light. j, 1