The news that the Air Ministry has decided to discontinue the Royal Air Force pageant Will be received with regret by the hundreds of thousands of people who annually make the {rip out to Hendon to se one of the most spectacular displays in the world. Started in 1820 with the idea of introducing the skill and efficiency of the RAF. to the public and to assist Air Force charities, the' pageant.has growa to vie with the Derby in popularity for as many is half a million people at a time have been seen inside the aerodrome and on the hill outside. Mythical forts in che desert have been bombed, warships sunk, towns destroyed, bombers brought down" year after year and the number of times that London hes Leen saved from air attack and the raiders driven. off with the sure confidence which is the guiding motive of the RAF. that Londoners have come to expect this sort of things as Part of the annual routine. While the amazing evolutions by members of the force who fly inside down, moking alarming dives and. paint coloured smoke in a variety of ensigns have their element of danger and verge fon the "stunt" nature, yet they do illustrate the Possbilities of the modera mnehine in the hands of the skilled pilot and therefore the pageant has played a useful part in Air Force training But os the Air Ministry statement points. out the rapid developments in modern niterntt have Fendered Hendon unsuitable and the historic Berodrome, which was one of the first 10. be pened in'Britain, will revert to ordinary ser vice purposes. When alr displays were. frst Introduced they could be confined to an aero: @rome almost like a football match, bot modern machines are so fast that even on the Tartfest Rerodromes most of the performance. is, well Outside the geographical Umits of the Acta. "In 1935 when the De Havilland Comet, which. won {he London to Melbourne fight, and one of the fastest commercial machines of its type at that Period, was exhibited at Hendon tt just sireakod across' the horizon and washout' of sight before the crowd had time to sec it, Since then service machines of incredible speeds have. been developed and Hendon fades into insignificance as 2 result. "The British public, however: will not be deprived of direct contact with the rapidly expanding air unit for the Alr Ministry adds {hat to replace the pageant the Empire Alr Day will be extended when acrodromes all aver the country are open to the: pub
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