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Aviation History
1920
1920 - 0707.PDF
JULY 8, 1920 R.A.F. PAGEANT Event No. 2. A Martinsyde and a Fokker about to take off for athe pair in the thick of the fight above the aerodrome - •, ' - Flight" Copyright scrap," and on the right, Churchill, and the rest of the people included in " Who's Who." We also noticed many old friends, but never managed to get further than seeing them. The weather, though threatening, was ideal, the magnificent thunderstorm-like clouds adding considerably to the spec- tacular effect. Only twice did we have the slightest of showers. At 3 o'clock sharp the first event, a cross-country race between six Standard Avros, was started under somewhat novel conditions. The machines were lined up (owing to the direction of the wind, facing the enclosures) with their respective pilots and mechanics 20 yards behind them. At the signal to start the latter dashed to their posts, and were away as quickly as they could. Flight-Lieut. Weare, M.C. (with 14 Huns to his credit), got going very smartly, followed a little later by the others in rapid succession. The com- petitors flew out towards the Edgware Road, turned, and then made for a second turning point in the direction of Bit- tacy Hill—good old Bittacy Hill!—and thence home. Flight- Lieut. Weare maintained his lead throughout, and Flight Officer W. A. K. Dalzell was, we believe, a good second. Next came a realistic aerial combat between Flight-Lieut. F. T. Williams, M.B.E. (3 Huns), on a Martinsyde, and Flight- Lieut..W. H. Longton, D.F.C., A.F.C. (16 Huns, 1 balloon), on a Fokker D.VII. These two executed every possible kind of manoeuvre to obtain a position of advantage over the other, to the accompaniment of frequent papapaps from their machine guns, and we must say that the " Hun " certainly put up a magnificent " defence." Flight-Lieut. Noakes, A.F.C., M.M. (3 Huns), then indulged in one of the finest exhibitions of stunt flying on a S.E.5B we have ever had the pleasure of seeing. All the tricks imaginable he performed, and his ceiling was never more than 1,000 ft.! His horizontal loops were wonderful. In the meantime a very fine show was being carried out on the ground, opposite the enclosures, by a latest type standard 5-seater Avro Mark Heath Robinson biplane. This machine is the last word (others fail us) in design. It is fitted with an extra large 4-speed and reverse gear box, a vacuum cleaner, anchor, flue-pipe, and Jazz-interplane struts. It was painted in the latest camelflarge colours to keep the flies off. Event No. 4, a display of formation flying and air drill, R.A.F. PAGEANT : Line up of machines for the Relay Race 707 " Flight Copyright"
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