AVIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 11 December 1924, Page 4

AVIATION

PROGRK.SS IN NI-AV ZKALANB. WKLUXGTON. Dec. 0. That aviation is quietly and unobtrusively, but none the less .surely, making progress in New Zealand is .shown b,v the lad that, in addition to the Dclciiii' 11 rt m-’iit flying done by Hi-ers al I In- \\ igrani A'-rn-d rulin'. Scickbuin. ( liri.-liiiiii-cli, I In-i r services arc coming iiinrc and more into rec|iu-st for civil llying--not only for pleasure, bat also for commercial purposes. During November last, for example, 17 civil flights were made, ini lading that by Captain d. 1.. l-'indlay. M.C. (sou of Sir John l-'indlay). from Christchurch t.i Oamnrii and hack, on tho alti-ruoou of November "Jlst,. which li considered to lie one of the best aeroplane Mights ever recorded in New Zealand. The toal number of passengers curried in the 17 Mights was 22, the total living time was eight hours li) minutes, and the total number of miles Mown 7li). During the current year, the total number of civil Mights made has been .'loo. carrying (187 passengers in all. The aggregate (lying lime amounted to j list, over Ml hours, while the lolal number of miles Mown is (i.'iog; or an average of nearly 181 miles per Might. A KINK KMC I IT.

The particulars of the (.'liristeliim-li--0;t in :■ rii . Oamnru-Chri.stchureh llight—lor the round trip is counted ns one Might. not us two- ure well worth recapitulating. On Friday. November •-'lst. the Mirauo Bros.. then perloriuing nt the Oamaru Show, were held u]> by the failure of their electric motor. One of the .showmen went by the early train Lo Christchurch ami obtained a now motor, hut was much nuzzled as to how lu> could oof hack to Oamuru in time for the afternoon performance. Il(' bethought himself of the Wigram Aerodrome, however, and found Caplain Findlay prepared lo make the trip, Leaving the aerodrome at L’.’J” p.m. in a I>. 11. !). they readied (lam am at :t. 11 p.m.. doing something lit,. |.'>t) miles in 37 minutes, while Captain Findlay, who made a stay id' an hour and a-(|imrter in Oamaru. did the return journey in a little over an hour and a-half. OCR All; FORCE.

I lie present strength of our New Zealand Permanent Air T’oree is four officers and seven other ranks, all of whom, with the exception of the secretary of the Air hoard at General lfe:id(|iiafters, Wellington. are employed at the Wigram Aerodrome. The stall' not only carries out the annual refresher course for oflieers of the Xew Zealand Air T’oree. hut maintains liaison with the land forces of the Southern Command, ami carries out many flights for purposes of co-operation with the Signal Corps and artillery units, besides undertaking; the civil livin': work referred to above. The total strength of the New Zealand Air Force is now 1 (>1? oflieers. the majority of whom have fully (|iialilied in the lioyal Air Force as service pilots, while the {remainder have all received partial trainin': in the Force. The machines given to Xew Zealand by the liritish Government in l!ll!l are reported to he rapidly becoming un-

servieeahle through fair wear and tear, and require replacement. Three S.K. oA’s (single-seater (lighters) are now on order; hut it is considered by the department that six new training; machines are required for the AVimam Aerodrome, together with a flight of two-seater machines of service tvpe. AERODROME FOR AUCKLAND.

It is intended to have a Government Aircraft Station at Auckland; and the Minister for Defence (Sir R. Heaton Rhodes), who returned from the north

by the main trunk express yesterday, informed a “X.Z.” Times” representative that while in the Auckland district lie inspected both the Kohitnarania Flying School, which has boon offered to the Government for the purpose, and another prnpsed site for an aerodrome and seaplane base in the neighbourhood of Auckland. “Rotli the Flying School and the site mentioned wili receive consideration by Cabinet,” stated the Minister, “together with other sites which have been inspected and reported upon.” I’otli seaplanes and landplanes are held to be essential for the defence of the commercial part of Auckland; and for the purpose of economy it is held to he necessary that the site of the Auckland Air-station should lie (1) suitable for the combined use of laud and seaplanes;