CLIPPER PLANE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 61, 30 March 1937, Page 5

CLIPPER PLANE

-Prese Assri.-

011 Way to Auckland — r» i aiMAX TO TWO YEARS' WORK Regular Service Shouid Operate Soon BRITAIN SAFEGUARDED

Teleiraph-

-Copyriehi.)

AUCKLAND, This Day. fhe arrival of the Pan-American Gjipper plan© a,t* Auckland this iveiiing Wili provide the first tangible evifieiice that nearly two ftm M i&iflStakihg plalihifig Afid Segoti&tiOB. iot & eosnmerclM air sgtrvie# tor^s© tne Paoifio have at last been brought to fruiM&n. Th© service itself will still have to be organiBSd and developed from tke ©bservatiofis made on tisiS the initiai SUTVey fiight, "but if everything ptoceeds aceotding to pian Niw Zeaiafid wiil brought appedably flearer to the day whdtt kar present iaolatiou Will largoly disappear. Although ko haB been engaged almOst Hxclusively in "stafi: work, ' ' a latge measuf 6 Oi credit for the arrivai oi the Clipper to-day will belong to Mr HarOld Gatty, Mt Gatty is representatlve oi i'aii-AniOrkan AirW&ys in New Zealand. 'It was Mt Gatty who negotiated the original agree&ent with the NeW Zea* land Government in 1935 aitd it was he who refused td let the project fall through when dif&eulties aros© regardiag the agrcement last year. During tke last f©w weeks Mr Gatty has been busy directing the arrangements for a survey flight from the New Zealand end. The agreemeUt Mgned In. 1935 pro* vided for the eommenbement of a ser▼icO before the end of 1038. However, thre WfeS a prOViso that, if unexpected difficnlties arose, the starting timo could be extended to December 31, 1937. Such diffietilties did, in fact, arise Through the ptolonged Ameriean ahip' ping etrike last year the plant and material necessary for the test flights eOuld nbt be ehippea to New Zealand in time, buf Mt Gatty wae able to obtain from the Government the neeess&ry extensic*, Dominion Safefcuarded. fhe igriement eafegii&rds very eloseiy the rights oi th'e Dominion in cdnnectiOn with the propoied SerVice. Pan'Americait Airwaye ik granted facilities fOr condncting an air ser¥iei tot the earriage oi passgngets, mails and catgo between New Zealand end the Uacihe coast of the tfnited States, tm serviee to be maintained eontintioueiy fot io years with the diepateh from eaoh terminus at reguiat intervals of at least two aircraft a month and not xnoie than two a week. Auckland and San Praneiseo are stipulated in the agreement fts the respeetive terminals on the route, with regular interaediate landing plaeeg ttt NohOMU, Kingman Beef, and Pago PagOi There ii a prOj visldn fot calis tt Apia If neeeg§aty. The benefits Of the ftSrvice are thus being extended to NOw Zealand's man"dated tettitoty in the Paciflo. Thtoiighotit the negotiatlons with the cdmp&fly the New Zealand Govetnmont hae been at p&tee to arraixge safe^ gtiards for the "future "developmeiit oi Bfitisk eenuflertial avktioa 4a the Padfic. Thlg led to the laelution ia the agreemenf of tha mtieh diecussed feeiproclty eladse, whieh provideg that ftpproved British aviation interests may apply fo the United States Government 'for permission to alighjfc at a place regularly used by Aniericaa commercial aircraft. If landing facilities are aefe graated to & British applicaht withia thre§ maaths or aay other teasoaable titae the New Zealaad GoveramSfit has the right tO glve 12 mOflthS5 notic© of terinxnation of the agreeftedt, while Pan-Americati Ahfway« hav©- no claitn for compensation or damages.

Lieenoe for Radio An undertafeing ako has bees given by the Government to obtain. a licence for the company to establish a private coffifflGfcial radio statiofi for itg nafigational and operatlxig neede and, If aiiothef euitable statiofi is fiiade avaiioble by ihe Governmeiit, th© eompany's iicehce may be caiiCeiled on six xfiofiths, Uotice and here, too, will be tio Gofernmgflt ikbility to pay compensation. 'Ihe agreement as a whole giveg the New Zealand Governmeiit a large iiieaStire Of oontrol ever the proposedj sertice. Ihe redprocity clause is stjll td be tested, but in th© meantime^ tbe arrival of the Clipper thii evening Will be at least a partial realisation of the pians and hopes for the establishment of the longest OcOan aii'-lliie of ihe world.

h'ar removed from the public excitojnent attendant upon to-day's great iiight and probably forgotten by the crowds that will wateh the Clipper arriyfe, af© two men who between them wili virtnaily fly the Sikorsky over the lS-50 hilles of Odeati between Pago Page and Auckland. Tliey are Mr A. Prancis, who has undertaken the combined duties of operations manager and meteorologist, and Mr W. Turner Garboe, radio OpefatOf. Surounded by their instfuments at the company' s iemporary headquarters in Auckland, Mr franeii and Mr Jarboe, although not appearing In eohneotion with the iiight j feharg pOfhaps the inoMt IfnpOftaat duties .aiid have the respori&ibility of keeping the Clipper safely on her coufie. Wlthotit detfacthig ffoiti tlie Important part 'played by the erew, the piippsg depen.^ §o largely upon the |n-

formation furnished by the grottnd staff that, withdut their services, the fligh/t could not be undertaken, Busy as they have been in the last two pr three weeks preparing for the flight to commence, the grouud staffi in Auckland have been working at even liigher pressure today. Their task actually commertced yGsterday with the preparation of the best weather map in view of the restricted reportg during the holidays and with the passirtg to th© maehiiie at Pago Pago of eSsential details in connection with the flight. The radio transmitter and receiver were in constant Use yesterday and throughout the night messages were being sent or taken with scareely a break. Prom the moment the Sikor* sky left Pago' Pago harbour until she is gliding in to land at Auckland there will be lnvisible but real contact with Auckland. Constant communication wili be malntained by wireless between the Clipper and the two stations between wbich sbe is flying, afld thls safety chain will not be i'eleased until long after the Craft has beeli sighted.