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Aviation History
1934
1934 - 1079.PDF
OCTOBER 18, 1934. FLIGHT. On the whole, Tuesday was a fairly unpleasant day, with a bitterly cold wind, and everyone was a little tired of the petty restrictions. Some of the competitors had their emergency rations checked ; each machine must carry one and a half gallons of drinking water, and. vaguely enough, sufficient food to keep the crews' bodies and souls together for three days. Just as everybody had ceased to stand in an expectantattitude Col. Fitzmaurice brought in the Bellanca Irish Swoop So on Tuesday night it appeared that there would be nineteen, at least ready for the start on the great day, and many of the most interesting entries were among them. Miss Jacqueline Cochran's "Gee Bee" was in England, at least, George Lowdell's "Envoy" was expected, and the Bleriot III entered the testing centre at Villacoublay at five o'clock on Saturday. Whether this machine and the Bergamaschi will arrive, and whether Pond's Vultee will be flown across the other pand remains to be seen —as do a great many other aspects of this truly remarkable race. ON THE " VICEROY " : One of the landing search-lights which are mounted inside the leading edges on the Airspeed " Viceroy." The aperture istransparently covered. ; .i.-. IN THE FAR EAST A Demonstration and Display by British Aircraft at Shanghai East Flying Training School in Action The Far BRER FOX, HE the Fairey ADISPLAY of British aircraft wasgiven at Hungjao Aerodrome,Shanghai, by the Far East Avia-tion Co., Ltd., on July 24. The display was originally to have been heldon the previous Saturday, but the advent of a typhoon made this impossible. Ad-mission to the aerodrome was by invita- tion only, of which some goo were issued,resulting in a crowd of some 2,000 being present! A large number of the im-portant Chinese and British officials, including His Excellency Dr. H. H.Kung, Minister of Finance to the Nationalist Government, General WuTeh Chen, Mayor of Greater Shanghai, Mr. Jabin Hsu, Mr. O. K. Yui, Sir JohnBrennan, British Consul General, Group Captain ' R. P. Willock, British AirAttache, Brigadier General F. S. Thackery, OJC. British Forces, and Mr.A. H. George, Acting Commercial Coun- sellor to the British Legation, were present. Two machines were used for the disnlav these being an Avro 6j7 Light Bomber, fitted a Siddeley "Cheetah" engine, and a Fairey " Fox" Mk. IV Hieh Performance two-seater reconnaissance lighter with a Rolls Royce "Kestrel" ISS engine. Both machines were nnen to examination before the flying commenced, and a preat many people availed themselves of the opportunity of seeing the latest types of British design and workmanship. The flvine programme was divided into three parts, each •hpine described by means of loud speakers and illustrated oroerammes. Before the flying commenced the crowd was enter- tained bv the Band of the Municipality of Greater Shanghai, and also was able to view a group of photographs illustrating the activities of the Far East Flying School, Hong Kong, »nH examples of metal work turned out by the Chinese engi- neering Sente of the school. These, incidentally, attracted a great deal of favourable comment. The flving programme commenced at 5-45 pm. with a briefdisplay of Aerobatics in the Avro 637 given by Lord MA. Douglas-Hamilton, who is an instructor of the Far East Fly-ing Training School. The second item was an exhibition of "rra/v flving " by the same pilot and machine. This typeof flying has not previously been demonstrated at a display in China and created an enormous amount of comment.The third event of the day was the demonstration of the FLY HIGH : A group of interested spectators round " Fox," which gave demonstrations at Shanghai. Fairey "Fox" by Fit. Lt. A. D. Bennett. Shanghai managerof the Far East Aviation Co., Ltd. The "Fox ' tor this flight was flown without a passenger, but had a full load ofballast instead, as well asTtrH-JtnTitary equipment in the shape of radio, oxygen apparatus, frorit~~gun, oter;—and so could"not be called a special demonstration machine such as had been used for past exhibitions in China by other nations.This display, coming after that of the Americans and Italians with their single-seater machines, led many of the spectatorsto expect similar spectacular aerobatics, although Irom a machine flying under very different conditions. From startto finish they were not disappointed. A heavy black rain cloud was blowing up, and the climb after the take-off wa3rendered most spectacular by being terminated in this cloud at some 2,000ft. After that all manner of usual and unusualaerobatics followed, the one which impressed the spectators most being a vertical upward slow roll from ground level,terminating in the cloud, which had then blown over the aerodrome. Unfortunately, rain commenced failing heavilyjust before the flying was over, but that did not prevent the important Chinese officials remaining to witness a " dogfight " between the two machines as a finale, and tendering their thanks to all concerned for what they termed amagnificent display.
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