PROGRESS ALOFT

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1011, 30 June 1930, Page 9

PROGRESS ALOFT

BRILLIANT FLYING AT R.A.F. PAGEANT FAST FIGHTING PLANES British Official t Tireless Reed. Noon. RUGBY. Saturday. The airship RlOl left her mooring mast at Cardington again yesterday morning and flew over London on her way to take part in the Royal Air Force display, which was held at Hendon in the afternoon. A rehearsal of the pageant which took place on the previous day provided spectacular items, illustrating flying at its best, and gave evidence of technical progress far in advance of any achieved in one year in the history of this mobile service. There were Irt new or practically new types of aircraft, both service and civil, and for the first time were seen thoroughly effective military fighters with speeds in excess of 200 miles an hour at heights of more than three miles above the earth. This speed, which only a few years ago would have been considered creditable in a Schneider Trophy racer just capable of holding a pilot, is today combined with such essential military qualities as a roomy cockpit, electrically heated clothing, oxygen apparatus, a couple of ma-chine-guns and ammunition, and possibly wireless apparatus as well. TO REPEL RAIDERS This type of machine, ♦which is represented by the Hawker-Homer. FirtHy Bristol and De HsdOaad Napier Halford monoplane, is lurom as an interceptor fighter, and has been produced solely to meet the peculiar needs of the defence of London against hostile air attacks. At least 150,<t00 people paid for admission at the pageant and the principal enclosures were crowded with distinguished personages. Prince George representing the King and Queen. Prince and Princess Takamatou, of Japan, were present. ’’’he display maintained a remarkable unbroken record of freedom from accidents. Three squadrons of fighting planes and three squadrons of bombers—altogether 54 machines—gave a magnificent exhibition of concerted manoeuvring and fighting. FORMATION FLYING A perfect display of formation flying was given by the City of London dav bomber auxiliary squadron. !t spoke well for the hard practice which the pilots, who are busir.ss men. put in at the evenings and week-ends. The parade of new types of machines was chiefly important for the examples of the interceptor fighter, which is called for by the need for machines which can climb quickly enough to challenge fast enemy bombers, of whose approach only a few minutes’ warning may be possible. The performance of new interceptor fighters was approxii ately a speed of Tn < U lnile . s an hour and a climb to 10,000 ft in five minutes, to 15.000 ft in eight minutes, and to 20.000 ft in 12 minutes.