British Hospitals' Air Pageant

GREAT AIR PAGEANT AT
OAKLEY WOOD.
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Wallingford and District and
Henley War Memorial Hospitals to Benefit.
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MR.CHARLES W.A.SCOTT, A.F.C.
AND 15 MACHINES.
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    To assist the funds of the Wallingford and District and the Henley War Memorial Hospitals an Air Pageant will be given at the Wallingford Aerodrome, Oakley Wood, Benson, on Monday May 15th, between noon and dusk.
    The Pageant will be one of a series of about two hundred similar displays organised this summer by the British Hospital’s Air Pageants to assist local hospitals in all parts of Great Britain.  By these displays, it is hoped ulitimately to hand over to British Hospitals the sum of £100,000, and to raise £20,000 of that amount this year.
    Under the Presidency of the Hon. Sir Arthur Stanley, the undertaking has the patronage of H.R.H. Prince Arthur of Connaught, the Duchess of Atholl, the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Harwood, and many other distinguished people.

Famous Airmen and Women.

    Mr. Charles W.A. Scott, the brilliant British flying ace, who holds the England-Australia record, will lead the Pageant, and will be assisted by 15 of the best known pilots in this country.  These will include the Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce, Miss Pauline Gower, Miss Dorothy Spicer, Capt. R.H. (Allweather) McIntosh, Capt. E.B. Fielden, Capt. P. Phillips, Capt. Rollason, Flight-Lieut. A.G. Hill, Colonel Fitz Maurice (First Englishman East to West Atlantic), Capt. J.C. Longmoor, of gliding fame, and others.

The Aircraft.

    No less than 15 aircraft will take part, including the famous Gipsy Moth machine in which Mr. Scott flew from England to Australia in record time and the first British light aeroplane to fly over the North Pole. There will also be the latest De Havilland “Dragon” air liner, a Handley Page air liner, a Satyr, famous for its aerobatic performance, a Fairey Fox, which flies at over 200 m.p.h., a De Soutter Drone, and several Gipsy Moths, Avros, Fox Moths, and Spartan machines.

Elaborate Programme of Events.

    In order that the public shall be assured of enjoyable entertainment, an elaborate and attractive programme of 20 events has been arranged.  There will be a display of formation flying by flights of fast machines, advanced aerobatics, a demonstration of aerial marksmanship, wireless controlled flying, an air race between men and women pilots, crazy flying, parachute descents, wing walking, an exhibition flight of Mr. Scott’s record breaking machine, “bomb” dropping, flying lessons, humorous events, ballon bursting, paper cutting demonstrations, obstacle races, and many other attractions.

Daring Aerobatics.

    One of the most thrilling events in the programme will be the exhibition of aerobatic flying by Flight-Lieut. J.B.W. Pugh, who was one of the team renowned for its daring aerobatic performances at several Royal Air Force displays at Hendon.  His feat of picking up a handkerchief from the ground is accepted as one of the most remarkable achievements in aerobatics.

Passenger Flights.

    A feature of the Pageant will be the opportunity offered to the public to experience the pleasures of flights in various types of aircraft, including the fastest and latest air liners, the actual machine in which Mr. Scott made his record flight, and a high speed machine for those who wish to experience the thrills of flying at 200 miles per hour and more.  In addition, people wishing to enjoy the thrills of loops, twists, and turns in the air, will be taken up by a pilot who has carried 65,000 passengers in aerobatic flights without a single injury – a world record – and all who are anxious to become pilots may obtain lessons in a machine equipped with dual control.

Flying Lessons for School Children.

    In order that the children of to-day shall understand the rudiments of flying, the local educational authority has been asked to distribute to each school copies of a simple and entertaining flying lesson by Mr. Charles Scott and to allow 500 local school children to attend the Pageant in order to see the lesson demonstrated by means of a radio-controlled aeroplane.
    By incorporating this lesson the organisers feel they are undertaking a work of real national importance. At the Pageant the aeroplane will be demonstrated as an instrument of peace and goodwill, rather than a weapon of war, and it is hoped, therefore, that the children will appreciate the great value of aircraft in the future prosperity of our Country and our Empire.

How the Hospital will Benefit.

    The constitution of the British Hospitals’ Air Pageant provides that the hospital shall receive ten percent of the gross gate receipts, £30 worth of flight tickets, thirty-three and one-third per cent of the programme sales, and the gross profits from the sales of model aircraft, and books on flying.   A cheque will be drwn at the end of the pageant, and the hospital may, if it wishes, appoint an independent auditor to scrutinize the accounts.
    Further, when the campaign is wound up, all the monies remaining over, with the exception of 5 per cent of the turnover for management charges, will be given to the British Hospitals Association, or its nominees for distribution to hospitals.

Civil Aviation.

    Apart from assisting the funds of local hospitals, it is hoped this Air Campaign, which incidentally is providing direct employment for over sixty skilled pilots, engineers, and staff, will do much towards stimulating a wider and greater interest among the public in the further development of British Civil Aviation which, unfortunately, is far inferior to that of other great Powers.

Charles W.A. Scott A.F.C.

    In April 1931, Mr. Scott flew from England to Australia in the record time of 9 days 3 hours and 40 minutes, and in the following month he made a return journey in 10 days and 23 hours. Not content with his previous record, he set out again for Australia in April last year, when he covered the distance in 8 days and 20 hours.  This a world record for a solo flight to Australia, and has yet to be beaten.  In July, 1931, he received the Air Force Cross for “distinguished services to civil aviation”.
    Flying is not the only activity in which Mr. Scott excels, for he took up boxing with such success that in 1933 he became the heavy-weight champion of the Royal Air Force, and the following year won both the light-weight and heavy-weight championships.
    Mr. Scott is a son of Mr. Charles Kennedy Scott, the famous musician and conductor.

The Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce, F.R.G.S.

    Previous to taking up aviation, Mrs. Bruce won considerable fame in the motor racing world.  By covering 2,164 miles in 24 hours without relief at the wheel she holds the record for the longest distance in a motor car. By flying alone around the world she holds the record for the longest solo flight.
    Her air records include a solo flight from London to Tokio, London to China, Shanghai to Korea, and the first flight across the yellow sea.  On land she has travelled furthest north into Lapland by motor car, holds seventeen world records for motoring, and has the distinction of holding the record for the longest distance on the water in 24 hours.
    Mrs. Bruce is the wife of the youngest son of the late Lord Aberdare.

Miss Pauline Gower and Miss Dorothy Spicer.

    Miss Gower, daughter of Sir Robert Gower, M.P., is an experienced pilot and in 1931 gained second place in the All Women’s Air Race.  Miss Spicer is the only practicing woman ground engineer in the country, and holds a pilot’s licence as well as a ground engineer’s certificate.