MOCK WAR IN THE AIR

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 715, 15 July 1929, Page 9

MOCK WAR IN THE AIR

THRILLING FEATS SEEN AT HENDON SMITH AND ULM LOOK ON (Australian and ’Y Z Press Association) LONDON, Saturday. The Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of York, the Prime Minister. Mr. MacDonald, and all the members of his Cabinet, Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieuten-ant Ulm, were among 100,000 people who witnessed a thrilling air pageant at Hendon in brilliant weather. The members of the Royal Air Force excelled themselves in feats of daring, all of which were performed without an accident, although one duel was so realistic that the spectators thought a real crash had taken place until they saw the airplane reappear and land safely. One of the features of the display was the parachute descents by six men who leaped from three giant bombers. Two parachutes touched each other in mid-air, but all the men made a safe landing. One novelty was the picking up of messages suspended between two lances, the pilots flying so low that a grapnel hook fitted to the bottom of the aircraft collected the messages as they passed. The concluding air battle, in which imitation harbour buildings were destroyad, was as near an aerial fight as could' be desired.