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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 1280.PDF
5^0 FLIGHT. MAY 30, 1935, EMPIRE AIR DAY The Story of a Remarkable Achievement : Tens of Thousands Crowd Ninety-odd Aerodromes : Service Flying as Seen from the Cockpit by a " Flight" Representative OF the success of Empire Air Day, x935> there can be not the slightest doubt, and those re sponsible—the Air League of the British Empire and the personnel of the many R.A.F. and civil aero dromes which co-operated—have every reason to congratulate them selves. To every aerodrome and aircraft fac tory which was thrown open the pub lic flocked in thousands, every man, woman and child overflowing with eager curiosity to find out how aero planes worked, and why. It would be interesting to know just how many questions were answered by willing and patient demonstrators at the ninety-odd aerodromes opened. Lord Londonderry personally made a tour of a number of places in the D.H. " Rapide " of No. 24 (Commu nications) Squadron, while Sir Philip Sassoon visited several stations in his "Leopard Moth," and Air Comdre. Chamier, Secretary-General of the Air League, accompanied by Mrs. Chamier, made a lengthy tour in a Monospar S.T. 10 piloted by Mr. K. G. Seth -Smith. A member of the staff of Flight was a passenger in a D.H. " Rapide " which, chartered from OUey Air Service, Ltd., by the Air League and flown by Capt. G. P. Olley, visited a number of aero dromes up and down the country. Some impressions gained here and there during this trip are given in fhe fallowing notes, and they are followed by a more detailed description (by another Flight representative, who flew in Servic machines) of typical programmes at certain R.A.F. stations. To describe the displays of every station would require a volume, but the majority of programmes were brieflv set out in last week's Flight, and in most cases these plans were closely adhered to. We Ht Hendon in the " Kapide " at o. a.m. in dull and cloudy weather, but, heading north-west, soon ran into sun shine and a clear sky. Our first call was at Castle Bromwich, where No. 605 (County of Warwick) Light Bomber Squadron jc-f the A.A.K were wheeling out their "Wapitis" and Juvenile interest in the Lewis gun on a Blackburn " Shark : T.S.R. machine at Gosport. (Flight photograph.) How the children revelled in it! This picture, centring round a "Tiger Moth" of No. 24 (Communications) Squadron at Hendon, is typical of scores of similar scenes all over the country. "Harts" and roping off enclosures in anticipation of a big' crowd later in the day ; many visitors, it seemed, were likely to divide the day between the aerodrome and the British Industries Fair, which is immediately alongside it. Ultimately, a crowd of no less than 10,000 attended. Continuing, we found Speke, Liverpool's Merseyside muni cipal airport, in a whirl erf preparation for a visit by Sir Ala a Cobham's display, with spectators already beginning to trickle in. Blackpool, which as yet is comparatively empty of visitors was makiag no special arrangements at either of its two aerodromes, so we made southward for Sealand, Cheshire: here, dropping in soon afterlunch, we found our first crowd— a little mattei of 8,000 people from Chester, Birkenhead, Moll and other towns in the district—watching the work of No. 5 Flying Training School. In the morning, twentv-four aircraft of the School ("Tutor," "Atlas" and "Bulldog") had carried out a formation flight in the neighbourhood by way ol a reminder. The flving programme during the afternoon showed the normal instructional routine, and the hangar-", workshops etc., were open. One noticed, also, what appear I to be two large Kugger scrums; on closer inspection, parts of a long-suffering "Bulldog " and "Tutor" could be seen peek ing out from the mass of eager humanity. Next the route lay eastward to Cranwell, Lincolnshire, and on the way a formation of " Wallaces," which flew alongside us, marked the Hucknall display of No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Light Bomber Squadron, Special Reserve; the crowd on the tarmac looked a large one. Cranwell's magnificent aerodrome, with the stately new Cadet College building backing the big hangars, seemed to hold the most impressive crowd of all—thousands of people drawn from Sleaford, Grantham, Lincoln, and the surround-
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