New Zealand’s Air Survey Ship

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 44, 14 May 1927, Page 22 (Supplement)

New Zealand’s Air Survey Ship

(Continued from Page 19) A complete aerial survey of Christchurch has been made by Captain J. L. Findlay, officer commanding the New Zealand Air Force depot, at the Wigram airdrome, using one of the latest Bristol Fighter airplanes and an aerial camera. This is the first survey of a New Zealand city from the air. Captain Findlay flew at a comparatively low speed, 65 miles an hour Exposures were made every 20 seconds and 18 plates were carried in each magazine on the camera, 72 plates being carried on each trip. The chief factors that the pilot had to contend with were the necessity of keeping the same altitude and the danger of drifting off the course through the action of the wind.

A start was made at Papanui, and the machine was flown on a compass bearing, the route being a straight line over the city to the hills. The machine then flew back on a parallel course, allowing sufficient space to ensure an overlap on one edge of the pictures The height maintained was 5,400 ft and after each batch of 72 plates was taken they were developed and pieced together to see that nothing had been missed.

It will be interesting to note in the future from whence the air survey pilot will come. It may be that the r fessional ground surveyor will learn to fly and thus himself carry out the extension of hig work from the air, or, alternatively, the pilot himself may carry out this work and acquire a couad knowledge of ground survey.

RESTORED RUBEN’S CEILING For 25 years secretary, curator and executive officer of the Royal UnP°d Services Institution and Museum n Whitehall, Sir Arthur Leetham is shortly to retire. Sir Arthur will be best remembered as the man responsible for the renovation of the famous XJubens ceiling in the. Banqueting Hall, Whitehall, in 1906-7. This was a colossal undertaking, for the ceilin- is at n hi-h altitude. A TOY SUBMARINE. Two large corks shown here by numbers 1 and 3, shaped, as you see. by cutting and filing, are joined on each end of the centre one by pieces of wire passing through them, and glue. Strips from the sides of a match-box tray arc glued flat across the corks, as shown by No. 4. A long strip of brown paper is cut to the length of the four

sides of 4, folded down the centre as i shown by the dotted line to stick on \ the top edges of the match-box strip. [ Two curves are cut, as seen at 5, to allow for the shape of the corks. Around I this pins are inserted in the corks and i joined by a black thread. No. 6 is a ! very small cork, and this and the match stick periscope 7 are glued to 4, with a tiny railing around 6. No. 8 is a strip of lead pointed at , each end. These ends are inserted into ! corks 1 and 3 exactly under the centre j line of No. 4. The submarine will then float splendidly. It will look better it j painted grey. |