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Aviation History
1933
1933 - 0036.PDF
FLIGHT, JULY 6, 1933 SPEKE AERODROME NOW LIVERPOOL'S AIRPORT 1/ ORD LONDONDERRY, Secretary of State for Air, opened Liverpool Airport officially on Saturday, July 1. He flew to the aerodrome in a Hawker " Hart " (R.R. " Kestrel ") escorted by nine Bristol 'Bulldogs" (Bristol " Jupiters ") of No. 29 (Fighter) Squadron. On his arrival he was welcomed by the Lord Mayor (Councillor A. Gates), Group Capt. H. J. Hunter (Officer Commanding the R.A.F. Display), and Mr. F. G. Bertram (Deputy Director of Civil Aviation, representing the Director, Col. F. C. Shelmerdine). An inspection of the large number of R.A.F. aircraft followed before Lord Londonderry made a short speech declaring the airport open. Everyone was relieved that the weather turned out reasonably fine, because they were naturally enough look ing forward to seeing much of what they ought to have seen at Hendon. The fame of this R.A.F. display had evidently preceded it, as a truly huge crowd of " Liver- puddlians," numbering according to some estimates well over 50,000, thronged the aerodrome enclosures. The first part of the programme was purely civilian fly ing and was somewhat tedious. The " Fly Past " was interesting because there were no less than 13 different types of aeroplane to be seen. They ranged from a Hawker " Hart " to a " Redwing" in the matter of speed, a Saro " Cloud " to a Comper " Swift " in size, and from a " Monospar " to a Bristol Fighter in modernity. Bringing up the rear of the Fly Past was a very well kept formation of two " Avians " and a '* Moth " from the PANORAMIC : The imposing array of R.A.F. aircraft drawn up for inspection. (FLIGHT Photo.) &• LORD LONDONDERRY'S ARRIVAL : He was escorted by No. 29 (F.) Squadron and welcomed by the Lord Mayor. (FLIGHT Photos.) Liverpool and District Aero Club, which has its headquarters at Hooton. Perhaps the most spec- t icular of this part of the pro gramme was an exhibition of slow and inverted flying by Fit. Lt. G. Stainforth on an Avro " Cadet " (7-cyl. " Genet Major "), His inverted spin was a manoeuvre not often seen at displays of this kind. Almost equally thrilling was a display by F/O. P. E. G. Sayer, one of Hawker's test pilots, on their demonstration " Hart." On some of his terrific climbs he must surely have had the throttle of his R.R. " Kestrel " right through the gate, for he went up and up and up! The programme included two competitions. First an Arrival Competition which was won by Mr. M. Jackaman, who arrived in his " Monospar " (two Pobjoys) only a few seconds after his estimated time of arrival ; he had Mrs. Shelmerdine as his passenger—Col. Shelmerdine, the D.C.A., was suddenly called away to Canada and unable to be present. Fit. Lt. J. B. Veal was second in one of A.S.T's. " Cadets " from Hamble, and Fit. Lt. J. B. Allen third in the Duchess of Bedford's " Puss Moth." Secondly, a Landing Competition, in which Fit. Lt, Veal was first ; Mr. R. A. C. Brie second in an " Autogiro " ; and Mr. O. F. Scott third in a " Puss Moth." A race was also started, the course for which ran to Blackpool and back, but the competitors were held at Blackpool and not allowed to proceed until their arrival back at Liverpool did not interfere with the R.A.F. Display. The handicapping was as usual in the capable hands of Messrs. Rowarth and Dancy, and we gather that it would not have been fair to blame them on this occasion if the result had been far worse than it was, because the organisation seems to have broken down so that several machines had to be inspected almost " on the post." This, naturally, did not give the handicappers a fair chance, and it is all the more to their credit that the machines came in, at the finish, as close as they did (see table). 674
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