PILOTLESS PLANE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 35, 21 December 1943, Page 2

PILOTLESS PLANE

NEW ZEALAND INVENTION

BEFORE THE GREAT WAR

"The. idea of an aeroplane controlled by wireless is not new," said a Hastings resident, when commenting on the news item about the crashing of a pilotless German plane on Bornholm Island, in the Baltic.

Some time back there was a rumour Hit'.er Avas building pilotless bombers to be operated by radio and it is considered, that the plane may haA r e been an experimental one.

The resident recalls that about a year before the outbreak of the last war, a Ncav Zealander, a young engineer by the name of Roberts, had invented the wireless-control of a model aeroplane. Mr Roberts gave 10-minute demonstrations in a Wellington theatre for about a Aveek.

The plane, Avhich was fitted with a motor,, was controlled by a SAvitcli board on the stage and .at the turning of a knob it flew the heads of the audience to the back of the circle, turning to left or to right, at the will of the operator. After it had completed its evolutions the operator brought it back to the stage again. Mr Roberts also invented a wireless-controlled torpedo, the resident stated Avhich Avas bought by the British Government during the last Avar. Model Taken to England "He also took his wireless-con-trolled model plane to England," said the resident,, "but Avhether the idea then of a plane, controlled by Av-ireless was too advanced for wireless and aviation of those, days, or Avhether the invention was not practicable, is not iknown, but nothing s-jemed to have been done about it." Britain may have something better in the way of a wireless-controll-ed plane. Certainly, Hitler's new plane is no "secret Aveapon." In 1938,, a de Ha v-i Hand Dragon aeroplane avas equipped at Croydon aerodrome with a Avireless direction finder and an automatic pilot. The tAA ? o devices Avere linked together, and the aeroplane would be set to follow of its own accord a predetermined route-. A flight Avas controlled from Croydon to Southampton. Before that the de Havillancl company had developed a plane which could be controlled from the ground by radio, but apparently that control could. on'.j r be exercised when the machine was visible from the control point. Again, in 1938, an aeroplane Avith a rabot pilot was but just before it was to take oft' for Australia, it crashed at Croydon Avhiie. undergoing its final test flight.