AUCKLAND AIR PAGEANT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 944, 10 April 1930, Page 11

AUCKLAND AIR PAGEANT

TWENTY-ONE PLANES TO TAKE PART BIG DISPLAY FOR SATURDAY Twenty-one airplanes, representing various types, will take part in the Auckland Aero Club’s pageant to be staged at the Mangere airdrome next Saturday. Nine of these are Auckland machines, while the others will include the latest Fairy 111. plane and a D.H.50 from the Sockburn airdrome The number of planes which will take part and the assembly of the country’s crack pilots, many of whom are old war-birds, is sufficient to indicate that the pageant will be the greatest yet held In the Dominion. Four machines which took part in the Hawera pageant left the Taranaki town late this morning and were due to arrive at Mangere at three o’clock this afternoon. No doubt, one of the interesting features of the carnival next Saturday will be the appearance of Mr. F. C. Chichester, of Wellington, who recently completed a flight from England to Australia. He intends to fly to Auckland in the D.H. Moth machine in which he made his notable flight, and there is little doubt that Auckland will acclaim his appearance on Saturday with equal enthusiasm to that shown him on his arrival at Wellington when he was accorded a wonderful reception,

One unique event will be the parachute descent by Captain Jonnasen, when the airplane will fly at a speed of about 70 miles an hour before he makes his jump. In order that no part of the machine will come into contact with him he will leave the cockpit while the machine is in flight and climb down to the under-carriage, from which he will leap off. The Inter-club race is bound to prove a most thrilling contest, and with many clubs represented, interest should indeed be keen. It may possibly be the forerunner of a big aerial derby. The competing clubs and representatives in this race are:—Canterbury. Mr. D. E. Grigg; Marlborough, Miss P. Bennett; Hawke’s Bay and East Coast, Mr. D. H. Newbegin; Auckland, Mr. G. M. Firth.