AERIAL PROGRESS

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 21, 16 April 1927, Page 24 (Supplement)

AERIAL PROGRESS

AN AWAKENING WORLD NEW ZEALAND LAGS j It is only If* years ago that it _ declared utterly impossible for **» I to teach another to flv. and thn? a * 11 |men. such as the Wright | had risen Iron* the ground i n . ho planes, ivere held to be endows nature in some peculiar way n. f b T ing a remarkable and sense of equilibrium. Wilbur after a series of brilliant gan actually to instruct pupil" »:**- caused the world to awaken tn it?*o sibilities of aircraft. " to tht Pot. The art of flying soon became a b,,„ ness, and flying schools were U * l ' | lished and courses of tuition werfti? gun. It was proved that an ~1, need not be some weird sp«ieT a acrobat. wes of ! With the stimulus given b v Smiths, Oobham. and other'inn flight pioneers, aviation destined to become H factor in passenger traaS? ligured as an important JJ?'tion in the recent Imperial ConferenC it is only seven years since the Paris-London air service was sUnL' with ill-equipped two-seater m-.. To-day the service ~f those machines is taken over by giant Viani. with three or four engines apiece carrying IS to 20 passengers. n| v ]l. twice daily throughout the summer w only from London to Paris, but , Ostend. to Brussels and to ColorJl while there is a single service d&il, from London to Amsterdam for H;ur burg and Berlin, and to Paris for and Zurich. Practically the whole Europe is now mapped out with lines defined almost as well as X. great trunk railways. Even throughout the winter months the air liners make daily journevs u Paris, Cologne and Amsterdam, and an important fact from the point 7f view of air travel—these machines of the Imperial Airways operate on these routes signally free from serious aeri dents. England’s Progress In England the progress of aviation in regard to linking cities together has been perhaps less rapid than on the Continent, owing no doubt to the shorter distances and the splendid railway services. But although progress may be slower, her advance is more sure, and the Imperial Airways, Ltd., are now operating over 20 liners of which the largest are two ArmstrongWhitworth “Argosy” aeroplanes, which have a seating capacity for 20 passengers. That they are stout machines is evidenced not only by the absence of accidents, which is the envy of the

French Air Union, but by their durability—four of the company’s D.H. 34 aircraft have each completed over 300,000 miles in the air, while another, the W 8 B type, has over 3,000 hours’ flying to its credit. To emphasise the comparative safety of the modern ’plane is not an easy job. for memories of disasters linger in the minds of the public, and any propaganda on the matter is somewhat nullified by the prominence that is given to accidents to pilots of the Royal Air Force. Light ’Plane Clubs Perhaps the most effective way of combating this prejudice is the establishment of light aeroplane clubs, of which /-quite a number have been formed. The total membership of these amounts to nearly 600 flying members and 350 associate members. Out of this number only 12 have obtained “A" class pilots’ certificates. Those sc licensed include two ladies, and there are others who are reaching proficiency. The training is done very methodically, and compared with the neck-or-nothing methods adopted during the war foolproof means are taken. Before the aspirant is allowed in the air he must undergo a course of ground training and learn the technicalities of his lowpowered machine. This having been done, any man of average intelligence can become a fairly good pilot after about seven hours’ flying under dual control conditions, and four hours’ solo flying. But this is not to sa.y that ne has qualified for an Air Ministry certificate. It costs the Air Ministry £l° for each member of the club who obtains his certificate, and for the saKe of economy there’ are other reasons why they are not handed out too liberally. In Other Countries The development of the services from London naturally has its counterpar on the Continent. Indeed, some C°nt * nental countries have far outstrip!* o England in their progress in this respect. In Germany, in particular, a spite the fact that the "nine rules implied by the Allied Air Control Com" mission prohibit her building strength machines, nearly all her ciu are linked together by air. There are no fewer than 40 regular air servlc operating in that country. Canada is hard at work. Air na - hours and aerodromes are being e f _ * lished, and pilots and mechanics aro rapidly being trained. Canadas a craft is being used for the tronspon of policemen, prospectors, engmee foresters, explorers and Indian aS *:. across undeveloped country. Ganaa i airmen have mapped out. unexpiorru country and undertaken aerial phography for the benefit of mining timber exploitation. They h aVe undertaken forestry protection ana .. sisting in fighting forest fires by ca • ing fire-fighters. It is safe to say this country has developed air * vey work more than any other. An amazing extension of air *er has now taken place in Australia. ' , flying has long passed the experiment stage and has become part or country’s life. The Western Austra air route of 1.442 miles as a P*™ 1 *”*" service has not been equalled New Zealand is somewhat in aviation. Hitherto it has o nl > 0 f considered from the point of vi defence and not as a comniercia v position.