FIRST AERIAL FLIGHT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2169, 28 August 1920, Page 4

FIRST AERIAL FLIGHT.

FROM CHRISTCHURCH TO . ■WELLINGTON. GAHTAIN DICKSON INTERVIEWED. The first aerial crossing of Coni; Strait was made, on Wednesday by Captain Emm Dickson, in the course of a flight from Christchurch* to Wellington. The machine was one of the company’s 110-h.p. Le Rhone Avrus. The passengers were Mr C. H. Hewlett (deputy chairman of the Canterbury Aviation Co.) and Mr J. E. .Moore (the company's chief nicehanic). The flight was commenced at 7 a.uf:, and concluded ; on the racecourse at Trenlham ,at 2.10 pan. Stops were made at Kaikoura and Blenheim. The actual flying time wi-s llirs. 40min. STORY OF THE FLIGHT.-

The story of the ll.ight was given in curl phraseology by Captain Dickson immediately after Ids arrival. He said: “Lett Cbristcbureb in adverse eendilions, Very -strong north-easter. Made bad time to Kaikoura, when petrol was running short, so thought it advisable to land, although within two or throe miles of arranged landing-ground. Landed on a'rather rough paddock, and managed to get some motor spirit from Mr Bullen, The Elms: cup of tea., too. Immediately alter filling up, left the ground .and was in pre-arranged paddock at Kaikoura within five minutes, Barney Maekerell’s, just behind the town. There was a .good crowd to greet ns, and they gave ns rather a hearty reception. They provided lea, cakes, etc. Tanks tilled with aviation spirit, and we left, again. At Kaikoura it was perfectly calm, hut before that, when passing Stoiieyhursl, near the Amherley Hills, we lan into dense low clouds, in which we Hew for a-

bom a pnailer of an hour. He had uo direction at all, and got only occasional giimp-ms id' sea and coast Jure. After Kaikoura, followed the coast line, and passed various places cn (he enast, turning inland towards Blenheim' at the L’re River. The progress of the machine was reported throughout by I lie various telegraph offices. The maximum height between Kaikoura and Blenheim was six thousand feet on the coasf. Passing Seddon and Ward, we got lower. Gained height over Redwood Hass (about three thousand feel). Landed in Blenheim with very few people a haul. The news had not got. out, Air Mogvidge had arranged (lie fire and ever\ thing else. Leaving Blenheim, obtained a fair heigid of six thousand feel. Followed Ihe coast pas; Fort Hiidcnvood and Runner Foin! and half-way between there am! Wellington Head- changed m\ course (hreet for (ape 'i civ, whit: We came down to a bam 5.500 fee; over Tern-viol i bghl." “How did 1 be Avro behave';” Hap lain Dickson #-;is asked. “Very weij,” he replied. “Ami what do yen li.dnk of tin route.' 1 ” “1 canuoi say anything a! tin. moment,” lie replied, “l! was ai aerial survey, am! J will haw to report on it. Von can say. that fin scenery was good." “What Wiis (ho mast striking feature of the journey?" “1 should think." he replied, "it wa.-. seeing’ ViV-llingion from Kaikou’ra so distinctly. The Kaikoura--. of course, were the outstanding feature of the trip, but we got a few bumps over them. At Cook Strait we were enveloped in cloud for a while, and could not see hind or sea, and from (1,00(1 feet we came down lo about 4,500. Our first glimpse of Wellington was a surprise. It wa-* over the hills, with a big stretch of water lying lo the right of it. It was just like suddenly seeing Lyttelton from Christchurch. The lilies'! feature was the prominence of the North Island viewed from flic. South, Over Wellington we could see people gathering on the ends of the wharf and coining out of Harlia-. merit House. ,v , Mr Hewlett, interviewed, said “the trip has shown the necessity tor r thorough survey —-a very thorough survey —of all routes not only from the ground, but from (lie air, before any regular service is a I tempted, especially over lull country. Flying over the plains to Ashburton is very simple from the layman’s point of view. It is very much different from this class of’ country, and shows the necessity for highly-tra-ined pilots. . . . The (rip impressed me with the absolute necessity of having the most reliable engines. My thoughts constantly turned to the reliability of the engine, when 1 saw fifteen miles of water before and behind. This was the danger zone —the midway crossing of the .Strait.

“When we encounlem' clouds we had to fly seaward, as it was too dangerous to fly over the mountains. We skirted the coastline with a magnificent view at times through the broken clouds of suowchul mountains, range after range. . . . The stunting over Wellington was most enjoyable. At one time' the city was underneath us, and the next moment it seemed to be on to)) of us or standing up sideways. We saw no shipping in the Strait.”

Mr Hewlett, continuing, said thajj he had accompanied Captain Dickson on a land survey of the route to, Blenheim, and lie had therefore come on with him as far as Wellington for the aerial survey, which was made at the request of the Air Board. •!t was intended to map out emergency landings throughout the route.

A fairly substantial mail was brought North. ' It included letters from Mr Wigram (chairman of the CanterbuVy Aviation Company) to

Mr Massey and members of the Air Board. There were other letters in the bag. A dozen copies of the Lyttelton Times were landed from the Avro, addressed to members of (he Ministry, the Mayor, of Wellington, and the editors of the Wellington daily papers. The lion. J. Cfr-Coates gave the House of Representatives parlien’ars of the flight time-table. Captain Dieksou, Re said, had won great reputation af the front, and had proved a pioneer of progressive aviation, TTis sound (*OllllllOll sense and great knowledge were of great value, and he hoped his services would bo retained by the-~eoun(ry for many rears to come.