Plenty of Space Needed for Safety

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 55, 20 March 1937, Page 6

Plenty of Space Needed for Safety

1— Press Assoeiation.)

ESCORT NOT WANTED

(By Telegrapl

AU CKLAND, Last Night, i SPhe imgortance .of keeping the flyingjboet xunways ea the Auckland Harbour ^ompletely clear of small craft when £he Pan-American survey Clipper .was jpbout to land next week, and at tha iK&ma timo of pxercising some measurai of flfia.tr.ol over civilian pilota .wkoi •migkt be flying in .the .vicinity in pritrafe or Aeio Club machines, was empha-j jtised by MXj. Harold Gatty, representa-i rfciy* ftf the company in New' Zealand. . Jjfe .waa jisual for. a .Clipper about to; jUnd to fly ro and in a wjde circle beforoj fouahing .water, he said, but particular-i ly on * *usvfly flight the pilot waa ,th« qnJy; jndge of tha beat approach, and iti mu impossible to forecast which wajl (he would bring tha Clipper. "Lauaches on the harboui: mighf puke Ahinga yer y difncglt for ua," Mr. teaifjr said, "It ia very hard to see krom the water, and it might appear tfiaf a man in the air had all the foom jha wanted, when actually the yeversa paa the ca?e. It ia difficult to see from k small lounch just how much interf er(.eace |he launch in eausing. A pilot jabout to land wants a good, clear run, and launches indiscriminately ehugging ^rgnnd the harbour: might prove a nuis*' *nc% "I ara going to dascuss with the oflLjOera of the Auckland Harbonr Boardj fha guestion of the provision of some; Spatrol to keep pleasure craft out of fthe wa-jj"- jkfe Gatty added, "A pilot 'idoM not need the whole harbonr to land tin, «f course, bnt even after h.e has [landed, boats ar.e likely to interfere When the Clipper; js being taxi-ied to itsj mooriiLge, The Ciippers land *t about] f75 miles an hour, and the taxi-ing speed' fyaxiee according to visibility. It can; jbe anywhere from & few knots to the| ttake-off speed of about 80 mites an: ghour, but is usually from 20 to 30. • i " "I hope that. no plans are made fori sea aerial oscort for the Clipper," Mr,! Batty continued. "It . is difficult to. pecort a big, fast machine with craft. Sfehat are mnch slower and may become guite a hazard. Welcoming aeroplanea dyiag over the city would not interfere with the Clipper in any way. Captain. Musick does not want the air to himself by eny means, but he does xequire ample xoom in which to bring his ship in safely at a strange landing place. V*