THRILLING STUNTS

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 76, 17 March 1930, Page 8

THRILLING STUNTS

AT LONGLAND’S AERODROME

DARING PARACHUTE JUMP.

LARGE CROWD WITNESSES FEAT.

On Saturday afternoon Longlands aerodrome was the scene of one of the most thrilling stunts ever witnessed in this district when Captain Jonassen styled “the King of the Air” treated the spectators to a daring display of parachute jumping at a height of 3,000 feet. A great crowd of people gathered in the Aero Club s grounds, while the sides of the paddock fencing the roads were lined with cars. The crowd impatiently awaited the arrival of Captain Jonassen, and Captain Olsen went aloft in the new Moth to give an exhibition in the meantime. At 3.30 Captain Jonassen, piloted by Captain Olsen, left the grounds, to the cheers of the people, for his adventurous feat. The megaphone announcer said he would endeavour to land in a corner of the Aero Club's grounds. Gradually the 'plane circled aloft until it reached the desired height well away from Longlands in a north-easterly direction, from which direction a strong breeze was blowing. The megaphone announcer called out that Captain Jonassen was now underneath the 'plane and the ’plane was seen to be flying on its back. In a second or two the Captain was seen in the air, the parachute flicked open and with a gradual swaying movement he approached the earth and disappeared from the eyes of the crowd behind a fringe of pines bordering the grounds of the Gun Club. A motor-car quickly brought the Captain back and he was able to explain how it was that he had been borne so far out of his direction.

This was his 163rd jump and the first one he had made for nine years. Although the wind was blowing from the north-east it transpired that at the height of 3,000 feet the air current was travelling in the opposite direction. The authorities had forbidden his using his old parachute because it was considered to be too old and he did not like the working of the new one he had used. As a result he had not made a good landing. The people were very disappointed to learn that the aviation authorities had forbidden the Captain from performing his trapeze stunt. This feat had never previously been performed in New Zealand from a light 'plane and the risk was considered too great. Much credit is due to Captain Jonassen not only for his excellent exhibition but also for the fact that he rendered it gratis. In order to compensate for not exhibiting the trapeze performance. Captain White gave a fine display of looping the loop, banking and sideflying which was much appreciated by the crowd. CAPTAIN JONASSEN’S COMMENT In an interview given to a “Tribune” representative this morning Captain Jonassen said that the arrangements made for his display at the Hastings aerodrome on Saturday were very unsatisfactory from the public’s viewpoint. They had, he said, no opportunity of seeing what they went out to see, and even after his descent, when he was entertaining the public by showing them the parachute, he was asked by one of the officials to leave the ground, as he was holding the crowd in the way of the machines. “The committee in no way conferred with me,” said the captain, "as to how the public should be entertained. The reason I did not land on the club’s ground was that when I was signalled by the pilot that we had reached 3,000 feet, I looked over, and seeing a building with the letters ‘N.Z.A.T.C.’ painted on it, I made for it, thinking it was the club’s aerodrome. “On returning to the ground I found that no arrangements had been completed for further entertainment of the public. To keep faith with them I offered to make another descent to land on the ground. This second descent had been previously suggested and discussed by the committee in view of Captain White vetoing the trapeze stunts on the machine but nothing had been done, and I had to leave the ground without being afforded an opportunity of conferring with any of the officials.”