FLYING PAGEANT

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 905, 24 February 1930, Page 14

FLYING PAGEANT

SPECTACULAR EXHIBITION AT BLENHEIM CAPTAIN BARLOW WINS N.Z. CUP Press Association BLENHEIM, Sunday. Ideal weather prevailed yesterday for the Marlborough Aero Club’s pageant, which attracted 25 airplanes from all parts of New Zealand, including a squadron of Bristol fighters and Moths from Wigram ancl the speedy Gloster Grebe. From an early hour Blenheim was thronged with people from all parts of the province, and about midday motor-cars by the hundred began to arrive from Kelson. There was also a good number of people from Wellington and Christchurch, the assembled crowd being the largest in the history of the town and totalling well over 10,000. The traffic jam on the roads leading to the airdrome was very bad, mainly because of the inability of the gatekeepers to deal with the unprecedented rush of cars, but all the other arrangements worked smoothly, and tho public was treated to a remarkable and thrilling exposition of flying. A feature of the programme was its spectacular events. These included an exhibition of crazy flying by Captain M. C. MacGregor, of Hamilton Airways, who zoomed, looped, spun and rolled, and gave a demonstration of upside down flying and dizzy turns right over the heads of the crowd. The Gloster Grebe, the fastest machine in the Dominion, was later put through its paces by Flight-Lieutenant M. W. Buckley, of Wigram, who also thrilled the onlookers with a masterly display of aerobatics. He concluded by opening the engine full out and skimming repeatedly right along the long line of spectators at a. speed of well over 200 miles an hour. DUMMY PARACHUTE DESCENT Another attractive feature of the afternoon was a parachute descent from a DHSO machine by a dummy, “Colonel Sandbags.” The inanimate hero made a perfect landing in the field adjoining the aerodrome, and the crowd highly appreciated the spectacle. The bombing of a fast-moving car by four airplanes also roused the crowd, particularly when the machines scored two direct hits, with flour-bag bombs, fortunately without mishap to the occupants of the car.

Officers of the New Zealand Air Force with three Bristol fighters and three Moths gave a wonderful exhibition of formation flying, the Bristols at 4,000 ft and the Moths at I,oooft lower. While they wheeled and banked in their arrowhead formation, now changing at a signal to flying inline, Flight-Lieutenants Buckley and Burrell went up in two Moths and staged an aerial combat. In a most realistic way they rolled and manoeuvred round each other until at last Flight-Lieutenant Buckley got a theoretical bullet home and his opponent fell in a shuddering spin, apparently out of control. The crowd gasped with relief when, a few feet off the ground, the machine was righted to make a perfect landing. It was very well done, and the airmen were warmly congratulated on an excellent piece of spectacular work. NEW ZEALAND AIR CUP The most important race of the dav was for the Hew Zealand Air Cup, a magnificent -trophy valued at 70gns., presented to the club by Mrs. Renwick in memory of her husband, the late Mr. Thomas Renwick. The event was flown in three heats over a course of about seven miles. The winner, after a wonderful neck-to-neck finish, was Captain Barlow, of Christchurch, in a Gipsy Moth. Captain Mercer, also of Christchurch, was second, and Captain White, of Hawke’s Bay, flying a Moth, was third. The winner’s time was 6m 19 s. The Furness Rose Bowl, a 25-guinea trophy, presented to the winner of the all-transport race, was Avon by Captain MacGregor, who also won a cup of similar value presented by the Marlborough licensed victuallers. Mr. F. C. Chichester, the famous airman of the England to Australia flight, was accorded a warm welcome from tho crowd when they recognised his machine. He competed in a number of events, but his only success was a second in the v slow race, which was won by Captain Bolt, of Wellington. Pilot F. R. Dix, of Blenheim, was third in this event. Miss Aroha Clifford, of Christchurch, won two handsome cups, one for the zero hour competition, and one for the A class pilots’ landing competition. In the last event Miss Bennett, of Blenheim, was second. The women defeated the dozen or so male competitors. Miss Bennett also secured third place in the all-transport race. A good deal of fun was imparted into the programme by “Count Rendered,” who was scheduled to take off at 2.40 p.m. on a non-stop flight to Guam in his monoplane “Nunsuch.” The machine was made up of airplane odds and ends, and the climax arrived when it caught fire.

The trophies , won during the day were presented in the evening". Today those of the visitors who did not take advantage of the fine weather to leave for their homes were taken on a launch trip in the .Sounds.