GLIDING ASSOCIATION TO BE FORMED IN N.Z.

Chronicle (Levin), 21 June 1947, Page 2

GLIDING ASSOCIATION TO BE FORMED IN N.Z.

Press Assri'.-

By'T'elegravTi

• dovyri'afit '

■ WELLINGTON, June 20. The press waili exeluded from the conferenee called by the Director of Civil Aviation (Wing Commander E. A. Gibson) today to form a New Zealand Gliding Association. The meeting consisted of individuals and rejn-esentatives oE organisations interested in gliding. At the opening of the meeting the representatives of the press were asked to retire. Later a statement from the Civil Aviation Department was issued for publicity purposes. It explained' the exciusion -thus: "At nq stage of the proceedings was the Director authorised to deai with or discuss any matters which might involve Government or departmental policy, and the discussions of thfe meeting therefore while the departmental representatives were present had to be confined entirely to technical matters affecting the Department. As the meeting, therefore, was of a technical nature with technical officers of the Department it could not be opened to the press." The information dislosed aftei^. the meeting had ended was to the effect that the first steps to form a New Zealand Gliding . Association had been taken. A decis'ion had been made that the Auckland, Wanganui and Christchurch Gliding Clubs which were at present formulating the rules for such an association should continue with the work Officers of the provisional technical committee of the proposed association were elected. They were: Professor T. D. J. Leach and Mr. T. Sheehan (engineering experts), Messrs A. McCutcheon and J. L. Harkness (glider pilots), and the chief mcteorological officer of the Mechanics Bay air station or his nominee. The statement from the Civil Aviation Department said Wing Commander | Gibson told the meeting that there was , apparently considerable lack of know- ] ledge of many technical aspects of glid- j ing. The purpose of the meeting was, | therefore, to enable departmenta] offi-' cers to, explam the airworthipess re- 1 quireinents roquired by the regulations 1 on gliding and to ansvver questions on technical details. The secondary pur pos'e of the uieeting was to obtain in i formation from tliose present as to the. technical standard that individuals aud I organisations were attempting to achieve.