A NEW PLANE?

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 33, 23 February 1937, Page 5

A NEW PLANE?

H.B. and E.C. Club Hopeful of Assistance NOTEWORTHY RECORD It is not y©t known whether the Hawke's Bay and East Coast Aero Club has been allocated one of the four machines to b© distributed among clubs by the Government this year. Officials of the cltib are, however, optimistio that they will he succesSful in their application, for they feel that the club de* serveg assistance. "The Hawke's Bay and East Coast Aero Club certainly has justifiahle claims to at least one new machine. Gn its training records it is really entiitled to two new maehines," said Mr P. Barker, president of the club, in an interview with a Herald-Tribune representative this morning. "At the present time the Club's maehines are being devOted almost entirely to training work." Mr Barker explained that it was in tho training of pilots that th© club obtained praetieally its only revenue, the fees of the pupils heing retained by the club. "Some other clubB in New Zealand," he added "add to their revenue very considerably by undertaking taxi work. Several o| the oluba possess maehines speoially designed for this purpose. Our maehines, on the other hand, are essentiaJly training maehines." The club was fortunate jn that the maehines it did possess were thoroughly airworthy and were unquestionably valuable for training purposes. "The training of pilots, however, could be speeded up if we had two modern maehines, and the club could extend its scope too," said Mr Barker. "For one thing, the .club could then undertake training in blind-flyiflg. With the maehines at present in. use this is not possible, for they are fiot suitable for such a purpose. It is recOgnised now that efficiency in blind-flying is an essential part of the pilot's training, and naturally the Club is anxious to be In a position to" attend to this aspect of the training." Mr Barker pointed out that the Hawke's and East Coast club's area extended from Takapau to Gisborne, Which was a very large area indeed. The club was looking to the occasion when its 100th pilot would he recorded. "This should be jn the near future," said Mr Barker, "and it will be a fine record for the club to have achieved. Incidentally it shows what very necessary wprk is heing carried out by the club in the fostering of aviation in this part of Ne-w Zealand and, further, in the direction of defence of the Dominion."