THRILLING AIR DIVE.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3367, 20 December 1919, Page 7

THRILLING AIR DIVE.

PILOT’S PRESENCE OF MIND. His machine disabled while flying over London, an aviator succeeded with rare skill in bringing it to earth‘ in a childre'n’g playing-field without fatal mishap either to his passengers, or anyone on the ground. The machine, a three-seater 'Ayro, was -being flown from Hofinslow to Southend by -Lieutenant E. A. Sullock, who had with him a lady and gentleman as passengers. While about 2500 ft up over Bermondsey a cyclinder ‘blew out, giving the pilot short notice that he must make a forced landing. "He had! two alternatives——either plunging down into the river or landing in a children's playing-field in Southwark Park. He chose the ‘ park, where three minutes previously many school children had been playing cricket. He failed to notice, however, until well over the trees and within a few feet of the ground, a horsed grass-cut-ter, driven by a groundsman named Self. How the machine came toearth was described by another groundsman, who stated: “We had just cleared the ;ground of children when I saw an %aeroplane swooping over the lime trees. A monient afterwards it *crashed down on a cricket pitch, and was bumping along the ground in a straight line for the horsed gl'aSs-cut-ter. In the nick of time the pilot steered clear of the driver, but in or~ der to do so -the machine turned a complete somersault, breaking its back, and then came to a dead stop. The passengers hung down from their seats. The driver of the grass-cutter rushed forward and rescued the lady passenger, who was scratched on the ankle and shaken. Then I helped to get out the gentleman and the pilot The latter was mixed up with a lot of broken wires, but we soon freed hinl_l”