DOMINION AIRMEN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2365, 22 January 1915, Page 6

DOMINION AIRMEN

OPP '10 THE WAR 1 MR SCOTLAND JOINS FLYING CORPS ? ! New Zealand ia already well ropref Bented. at the front in many of tho I branches of the Empire's vast fighting T machine, and in. tho course of a few I months wo will be represented in the ; Royal Flying Corps j and when Berlin [ -discovers among its ruins a bomb with i,-a. silver fem'on. the shell'it .will know that -New Zealand was . among tie , wroclcors. I All flying is thrilling, most of all War-' j and Mr. William Scotland, the ' ■ Now Zoaland aviator, is determined to ! experience the rare sensation whiletho i ohance is on hand. - The. more serious s aspect.,- of- course, weighs with him, "too; ! He is a certificated amtor, aviators are . • wanted, and he 16 prepared to givo his t (services/ Ho will sail' from' New Zeai ]land for England'in about three weeks' J ;time. : Immediately, after his arrival 'i there ho will join the aviation branch' ; M the servioe. On account of : the cerii-- : i Jcatea he hold's he will not have to join, f fis a novice, but he-will require to tak'fl . : i course or additional sohooling, which i Kdl experienced svTatirs are put through ■, Ho - fit them, for active service. This is, i necessitated by the differences between ! ordinary _peaoe flying and aotual war , flying. .War flying necessitates all the highest qualifications in all branches of j : aviation, including , a. thorough 'know-, i lodge of the. use: of the compass, and • calls for praotice in the gentle art of dropping bombs and other little things.. • .It does not. consist merely of flying ( round and round an aerodrome. Mr. f Scotland will not procure a machine of ; his own in England, but/will, unless hick'.' is;right;.<mt<.bitt .the use of i- .cme, of-lie military aircraft; It is bfrv | lieved that Mr. Scotland will be the first ! j New Zealand aviator to join , the legion i ( who war in the air,, but it is -just'' possible that Mr. Hammond may step in a J \ little ahead of lim. ; . Aviation in New Zealand. ■ .Mr. "Scotland is an aviator who has j .had a. good'deal of hard luck so Tar }; as : aviation-:-;, goes /in this • .his. native j: country. After, learning •to use - ffie f;wings-,of- the bird-man.;in England, he I. 'came out here a little over a year ago, •'and brought with him a very attractive j flow-power Caudron biplane., Ho pitohed ! a camp near Otaki,' and one- evening i when, the wind was low he made a beautiful flight. He ascended to a good . height,-, and covered .'a "great' distance :' at liigli,; speed.*., A; train, which was , / travelling, .through .the .' district at • the ' time, found itself hopelessly outstripped by -ilie-- Caudron., The aviator Btaygfl (on a{ Ofcalri for some time, but tho i i weather was' far: too bad for any more s 'air . work,: and- camp was eventually / struck 4t' : was' this ; machine in whicn 1 Mr. Scotland caine to grief in Wellrngj ton. when attempting flight oil' a most i-junsuitable Ho started out. h from .XtHletic Park, and wound up ! abruptly :in.' at Newtown ! (Park. ; The machine was wrecked, but ■■ 1 another, 1 ' was_ Ordered—another, of the : -same type, with a more powerful engine, i (Unfortunately. ;the m'achine. sent, .out ; was not t-ho Gort of oraft Mr.' Scotland ( wanted, and its unsuitability was a >■ '.serious drawback, to him'-, in .his. recent j (."attempts to fly,in Christchurch. i Mr Scotland'talks very interestingly r ' jn tho prospeots of flying in New Zea- ! Sand': \Whije 1 -he s'ay s' that. in ordinary 7 ' " times,he might v be glad to ..stay here I and follow-tho calling, he adds that the i business . here would, .be .-. an t up-hill | ; battle:« There.'is'no •encouragement for !-. the airman, but he 1 does-not blame anyi one fori that,i and he realises'that the ■;:Government have • their "Hands ; full, of :■ other , matters.; , He. is -of . tho [ .opinion that a sohool of aviation," would So well .' in Now Zealand. Within a very little ; while he has sent to England four men' ' who applied to him to know if ho would , teach them how to conquer tho air. f~ ; pookets In Our Air, Fields. ,'. New Zealand,-he Bays,'is:not a good i flying . ground."." The air. is full ;of |- • pockets. .. Perhaps.■ we are:: too; near. i ' the sea in. most places, and a-good deal. I of the country is somewhat mduntains oub. Ho was warned before, he came i : here that New Zealand would bo a . difficult place t-o flv in, and was told that I. as-far as could be judged WelTlngton S would be almost an impossible, field for: I .an aviator. Even mariners, he said, i had observed eccentricities - about the /wind in the vicinity of Wellington. ■ ! [ His experience is that Wellington is not at all a good district for his work. • 'Air pockets abound j and the - air iB 1 .altoßether very uncertain. Everywhere ; .in New Zealand, however, there is good. ! solid air, which makes the task of i climbing quite easy: Ho oonsiders : that aviators should reach great ( without- difficulty above 1 New; Zealand,,- ; This, of course,.-is an exi .:celleht . attribute, but in some'•' places r this good point is nullified by the uni certainty of the air'field. • I In Mr. Scotland's opinion Christj church is one of our best centres in which to;conduct flying operations. Tho i .evenness of the air.is greater there'than

I -in many parts, and landings are good. i/IThe great/stretches of fine flat country . provide landings almost anywhere, so ' that one's machine is comparatively safe : in the event of an emergency landing.

; Even . flying. over Christohurch City is ; satisfactory on account ;of the number : of flat open, spaces and flat parka in ; which one could land. • - - ' ' If ,a. school of aviation were set up i in New Zealand, Mr. Scotland would | probably favour its being situated in . Christohurch, or close by that city. 'fhcro is much which heeds doing before ; we can start to grow aviators on our : own soil.v The first thing, necessary is 1 a good aerodrome.