AIR PAGEANT IN SOUTH

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 899, 17 February 1930, Page 11

AIR PAGEANT IN SOUTH

CROWDS WATCH FLYING AT WIGRAM

DERBY WON BY WELLINGTON

Press Association CHRISTCHURCH, Today. Thousands came out on Saturday to j the Wigram Airdrome to watch the 30 j airplanes which had gathered from all j over New Zealand to take part in the | first Canterbury air pageant, held ; under the auspices of the Canterbury i Aero Club. In the morning and early afternoon the weather was bad for flying, mist settling low over the field and spoil- ! ing the visibility, but in the late afternoon the sky cleared slightly and the club was able to complete Its programme. By two o'clock, when the entertainment was timed to begin, there were 10,000 people on the ground with more arriving all the time. When a start was made with the heats of the Wigram Derby visibility was much better and the spectators had a good view of the whole of the race. The caul's© was a straight one of about five miles altogether, the turn being made in the vicinity of the Addington Showgrounds. The results were: WIGRAM AERIAL DERBV For Light Airplanes; 5 miles First Heat F. D. Mill (Auckland), Moth - . - • 1 i N. S. R. Bloomfield (Auckland), Moth 2| N. C. Chandler (Marlborough). j Moth J I T. W. White (Hawke’s Bay), m Spartan 4 The start was a good one, the machines getting away together, although White was a little behind the others. Mill took charge at the half distance and, gaining on the turn, came in 200 yards ahead of Bloomfield, with Chandler in close attendance. Mill’s time was 3min 55sec. Second Heat M. C. McGregor (Hamilton), Moth 1 J. M. Buckeridge (Dunedin), Spartan 2 G. A. Stedman (Wellington), Spartan 3 R. W. Norman (Canterbury), Avian 4 McGregor had a misfortune when getting into position. Just when he had started taxi-ing into place the wing of his machine came into collision with a New Zealand Airways Spartan. The wing of Moth was damaged and could not be repaired in time. The propeller of the Spartan was split and necessitated a new one being fitted. McGregor took over a Canterbury Club Moth. Buckeridge and McGregor got well away, but McGregor made ground on the turn, which he took beautifully, and came in with a decisive though not a wide margin. His time was 3min 35sec. Third Heat G. B. Bolt (Wellington). Moth . . 3 N. H. Barlow (Canterbury), Moth 2 W. S. Parke (Wellington), Monocoupe 3 In a very close finish Bolt just managed to get in ahead of Barlow. The winner’s time was 3min 42sec. DERBY FINAL Bolt (Wellington). Moth 1 McGregor (Hamilton), Moth .. 2 Miss Aroha Clifford (Canterbury 3, Spartan 3 Mill (Auckland), Moth 4 Miss Clifford flew the Spartan that was damaged earlier in the day. At the finish there was 30 yards between t)i© first and second, with the third 50 yards away. The fourth machine was 50 yards behind the third. Time, 3min 34sec. Mill got away badly, and Bolt retained the lead he secured in the take-off. The most conclusive win in the heats was that of Mill, whose coupe Moth, with its streamline cowling over the cockpit, seemed to have superior speed. The pilots in the Spartans were generally not as well abie to make the turn at high speed as the Moths. One of the novelty events of the afternoon was the all-transport race, in which the pilots competed three at a time. They had to run 50yds, bicycle 50 yards, fly round mark, land to a mark, run 50yds, cycle again, and then push wheelbarrows home. The first three were Buckeridge, White and Chandler. Superior speed on his cycle gave "White a slight advantage, and this he kept all the way. Buckeridge. in bringing his machine to a stop, slewed it round as he jumped out, and Chandler had to swerve expertly to avoid a collision. The result of the final was: ALL-TRANSPORT RACE "White 1 Bloomfield 2 McGregor 3 Other results were: LANDING COMPETITION Club-trained Men Pilots D. E. Grigg (Canterbury) 1 R. S. Taylor (Canterbury) - Women Pilots Miss F. Bennett (Marlborough) . . 1 Non-club-trained Pilots G. B. Bolt 1 M. C. McGregor 2 SLOW' RACE One Milo |G. B. Bolt .. 1 BOMBING COMPETITION !N. H, Barlow • 1