WEST COAST AERO CLUB

Grey River Argus, 8 September 1948, Page 2

WEST COAST AERO CLUB

At the annual meeting the West Coa’st United Aero Club elected officers as follows: — Patron, Mr F. A. Kitchingham; □resident, Mr D. F. Gemmill; auditor Mr M. R. Bunt; secretary, Mr A. McArthur. The retiring president, Mr Gemmill, in his report, stated. —Whilst -the financial position of the club has improved since the meeting at Westport when the constituent clues agreed to each donate £5O to this club, it would have \been better still had the weather not. been so conadverse to flying since May. I desire to express our sincere thanks to the clubs for their donations. At the 1947 annual meeting we admitted our youngest affiliated member, the Karamea Club, and since then they have developed into a strong club with a good membership and a big list of trainees. I would like to congratulate them on having their first solo trainee recently. Congratulations are due to the Hokitika club for the successful field day held .by them in February with a satisfactory financial result. I consider that more of these held days or Pageants could be held throughout our territory. I would like to express my confidence in our flying instructor, Mr B, Dalcom, and to thank him for his service to the club. Our-instructor has a very dimcult task in that he had to cover a large extent of country to give tuition to his trainees. We hope that we will be in a position to provide him with a part-time assistant in the near future. You will have noted that we must reluctantly consider the appointment of a new secretary as Mr H. Wicks wishes to be relieved of his duties owing to his inability to devote sufficient time to the club’s work. I desire to thank Mr Wicks for his assistance to me during my terms of office and for his excellent services to the club. Mr B. Dalcom, pilot instructor, reported.—During the year a total of 764 hours 15 minutes were flown by the club’s aircraft. Making up this total is: dual 324.2; solo 347.0; charter 49.3; ferry test 42.55. Air Training Corps—During January, 1948, four A.T.C. Trainees were allotted to this club to receive 30 hours flying each. Up to March 31 1948, a total of 42 hours dual and 14 hours solo have been flown by them. All four have gone solo—two in Greymouth, one in Westport and one in Hokitika. A further 10 hours flying has been granted to these trainees on completion of their training. During the coming year, it is expected that approximately eight further trainees will be allotted to this club for training. The following is the flying membership of the various clubs at March 31, 1948: Greymouth 39, Hokitika 16, Westport 14, Karamea 18, a total of 87 flying members. During the year the following club trainees made their first solo flight. Greymouth.—V. Bergamini, W. Crosses Dr. G. Andrae, C. McTigue, H. Pratt, W. Ogilvie, R. O’Donnel . A T.C. —Wl/O T. Neville, Cpl. W. Kelly. Hokitika—T. Harris, Miss J. McLean, R. Deidrichs, A.T.C. cadet G. Bruce. Westport.—C. Betts, J. Parkhouse, J. Forsyth, P. McLean, ATC. cadet J. Egan—a total of 18. Of these 11 gained their A license. Licenses now held by club pilots total 13 A and 4 B. Accidents—During the year, two aicraft were involved in accidents. ZK-AJQ scraped a hillside during a cross country flight. The aircraft suffered only minor damage but was out of the air for two months as a result. ZK-ALP was overturned at Westport during take-off and had to be dismantled and shipped to Wellington for repair. This aircraft was flying again in two months’ time. Altogether four months’ flying was lost, which may have represented quite a few flying hours. There is an urgent need for a hangar at Westport to house aircraft staying overnight. Recently two aircraft of the Nelson Aero Club were seriously damaged while staying the night, being blown from their moorings by high winds. This club could not afford to have its own aircraft suffer this fate. Every effort should be made to expediate the removal and re-erection of the hanear which is at the North Beach aerodrome. Arrangements have been made for Mr T. Menzies, of Westport to obtain an assistant instructor’s authority. This will be a means of increasing flying time and allow more frequent visits to clubs. If finances will allow, if a Government subsidy is forthcoming, I would strongly recommend that the committee consider the purchase of an aircraft suitable for charter work. The secretary, Mr Wicks, reported, ‘This is our first complete year of flying since 1939, and will be a good basis for estimating the future prospects of the club. The nett loss for the year is £419 17s lid, including £267 18s depreciation written off the aircraft. This loss was kept down by the generosity of the constituent clubs, as donations amounted to £203 Is 6d. We are facing the same financial difficulties as other Aero Clubs, contributed to by the impossibility of increasing flying fees without losing members, and the absence of a definite subsidy by the Government. Gift machines and A.T.C. aTe a poor substitute.

The flying hours were 764. and revenue was.—Members £1845 10s 4d A.T.C. £216 10s lOd. total £2062 Is 2d. Average per hour £2 14s. Flying costs were £2381 Is 8d (£3 2s 4d per hour) depreciation £267 18s (7s per hour): administration £136 Is lid (3s 7d per hour). Total: £2785 Is 7d (£3 12s lid per hour); showing a loss per hour, of 18s lid Under these circumstances, no reserve has been made to debenture redemption account, as such a reserve would be a paper entry only. BALANCE SHEET Laib'ilities Liabilities. —Air Department: ZKAIF £300; flying clothing £92 8s; debenture loan £635; debenture repayment reserve £29 10s; canopy fund £l5. Sundry creditors: petrol and oil £259 12s 4d; repairs £366 Is 7d; sundries £8 8s; appropriation account 142 9s 9d, total: £1748 9s Bd. Assets

Bank of New Zealand Ltd., £l3O 16s 9d; Hokitika Savings Bank £67 18s 4d. Stocks: badges, £3 12s 6d; Io? books £7 17s 6d; flying clothing £l3; loose tools and snares £B2 15s Id Aircraft: ZK-AJQ £292 10s; ZK-ALP £337 10s; ZK-AND £329 12s; sundry debtors: flying fees £66 Ils 8d; A.T.C. training £164 17s 6d; petrol refund and sales £159 13s lid: sundries £6 6s Insurances prepaid: £B5 8s sd. Total: £1748 9s Bd.

Income and Expenditure For the year ended March 31.— To loss transferred from flying account £490 Is 6d; affiliation fees £8 8s: debenture interest £3O: secretary £75; petty expenses-, tolls, postage, telegrams £lB 18s Id; travelling exnenses £6 8s lOd; bank charges £3 3s 3d; printing and stationery £2O 3s Rd; audit fee £5 ss. Total: £657 8s 2d. By donations £203 Is 6d: affiliation. fees £2l 10s 6d; interest — Hokit'ka Savings Bank £1 13s; nrofit on sales: badges £1 14s 3d; log books 18s; flying clothing £8 12s; loss transferred to appropriation account £419 18s lid. Flying Account To oil and netrol'£639 7s 3d; repairs and overhauls £47o'. 11s; sundry

flying expenses £25 16s 3d; salary—instructor £550; ground engineer £492 2s; accident insurance, £47 8s; aircraft insurance £155 17s 2d; depreciation £267 18s Total £2648 19s Sd. By flying fees £1842 7s 4; subsidy £100; A.T.C. training £216 10s 10d;. loss on flying transferred to Income and Expenditure Account £490 Is 6d.