AVIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 15 August 1929, Page 8

AVIATION

PROSPECTS IN NEW ZEALAND FRENCH AIRMAN lAIPRESSED. WELLINGTON, Aug. 13. Lieutenant J. G. MV Bellando thinxs highly of the future prospects of New “ealand as a dying country. In an interview with the Wellington correspondent of the “Times” the cruiser lourvil.e, recounted some interesting lacts in connection with flying in different parts ol' the world. Lieutenant Bella ado, a short and nuggety man with a very pleasing personality, conversed throughout in his native tongue, but the assistance of an interpreter heljied over the difficult portions of the interview. During the war period the' aviator was attached to the North Sea squadrons and he spent most of his time on patrol looking for enemy submarines.. He found the work both interesting and thrilling, but would have preferred an. occasional clash with the Hun over land. Lieut. Bellando has quite a bold array of decorations on his uniform, but he was reticent as to their value.

Talking of commercial aviation the Frenchman thought that there was no doubt that the air would be the definite mode of travel in the very near future. France was spending quite a lot of money on the developing of a service between France and South America, and before long the service will be an accomplished fact. The men on the Tourville experienced a concrete example of the work in its experimental stage when they received mail by air eight days after leaving France. The same mail ' would have taken a fortnight to reach them had they been compelled to wait tor it through the usual channels. Under the present-day. rules and regulations aviation as. a means of travel was perfectly safe, continued the officer. He was strongly Of the opinion that aeroplanes would always be used in preference to the non-rigid or Zeppelin type of machine. In the case of the latter the cost of production was too high to make .lares economical. Five hundred good commercial ’planes could be turned out for the cost of one of the non-rigid type. Bigger landing grounds were necessary and the overhead cost was .prohibitive irom the commercial viewpoint.

Referring to Kingsford-Smith’s flight of the Pacific, the Frenchman went into was magnificent,” he said. “AVe aviators rea.ise the tremendous difficulties Smith overcame. It was truly an epic.” , “France lias not given the time to the research, side that would be necessary,” said Lieutenant Bellando, when talking of the Schneider Cup contests. “A great deal of money is required for research work, and then the right aviator is required to pilot the machine in the actual event. It is a dangerous game,” he said with a smile. Lieutenant; Bellando found, during his visit to tShat country, that the Italians were keenly interested in aviation. They developed very clever aviators —men who took risks in the ordinary course of events without turning a hair.

The Germans spent most of their time in-investigating the research side Oi aviation. They were not brilliant pilots when compared with the English, French, Italians and Americans, hut they were particularly safe and clever.

The Tourville leaves Wellington on Friday 1 for Australia, from where she will travel to Batavia, Indo-China and back to France. She will have been away from home eight months by the end of the cruise.

CRUISER’S ’PLANE. The C.A.M.S. 37A. Amphibian ’plane which is part of the equipment of the I'ourville, will not fly to Christchurch. Lieutenant Bellando said that much as he would like 'to make the trip, it had been found 1 impossible for various reasons. The ’plane is in good order and does not require an inspection. The flight to Christchurch would in all probability have been made but for the fact that the Tourville is running to a rigid schedule, and any hold-up through a delay of the ’plane at Wigram Aerodrome would upset arrangements. The Amphibian is a most interesting craft to look at. Its like has not been seen in New Zealand before. It is fitted with a 450 h.p. Lorraine engine, and has room for at least half a dozen passengers. It took the air on Saturday morning with Lieutenant Bellando at the joy-stick, and cruised round the harbour and suburbs for half an hour. Lieutenant Bellando, with three other officers as passengers, flew from Takarava (Tuamoto Archipelago) to Papeete, aim reached Papeete twentyfour hours before the Tourville. The craft has a flying range of six hours at 90 miles an hour.