FLYING IN DOMINION

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1048, 12 August 1930, Page 8

FLYING IN DOMINION

CIVIL AND MILITARY PROGRESS WORK OF PAST YEAR TEE SUX 3 Parliamentary Reporter PARLIAMENT BLDGS, Monday.

The growth of the activity New Zealand air services is gj, 0 ' clearly in the annual Defence Hera-? ment report presented in the Hon today. The strength of New land's permanent air force, says tiorT port, is now eight officers and 42 ranks, an addition of two officers aw 25 other ranks over that of last yea" These numbers include 15 appreni tices who are undergoing lr»w— .. Wigram Airdrome. • Temporary) J. L. Findlay, M.C.. who - undergoing Royal Air Force courses fa England, passed out of the Central Filing School at Wittering as a N'o. I fa. structor, which i 3 the highest mk fication obtainable. This officer * . carry out courses ir. parachute -worv army co-operation and photography be fore his return at the end of the yea.Iu January, Flight-Lieutenant Wai lingford proceeded on H.M.S Duneda to Samoa with a D.H. Moth seapfaa, equipped with wireless, and canfai out valuable reconnaissance wort Training and refresher courses fe officers of the New Zealand Air For?(territorial) and aero club instrncton were carried out at ‘Wigram durfai the period of January to March. Fh. ing time has totalled over 700 hours without injury to personnel or serious damage to aircraft. AERIAL SURVEY WORK During the past year aerial sum. of Christchurch city, including til eight surrounding counties with itoui area of 40 square miles on a scafa of five chains to one inch has beecompleted to the satisfaction of the Christchurch City Council. An aeriu survey of 300 square miles in th* Maniototo district on a scale of 24 chains to one inch for the Public Works Department's Otago Central fa. rigation scheme is well tinder way. Other smaller surveys have also beta undertaken for various departments, notably a series of oblique photographs of fault lines in the West Coast earthquake area, which proved of cctaiderable value to the Geological Dtjar.ment.

| Fifteen apprentices, who were eti listed as cadets in November, rar« made good progress. At the sobs time they will not become skilled aircraftsmen for some years, and an adequate proportion of trained fitters aid I riggers must be maintained. Durfaj j the year Royal Air Force title* tare i been adopted in New Zealand. The air force strength of the N'ew Zealand Territorial Air Force is now • 90 officers, and 19 other ranks. At tie ; Wigram Airdrome the department maintains 17 machines, which comprise the following:—(1) Serrice machines: Three Gloster Grebes and six Bristol Fighters, the latter being obsolescent. (2) Training machines: Four Avro 504 K and four D.H. Moths. Of this latter class it is considered Ahat the Avro machines should be disposed of and replaced by four DH. Moth airplanes. HOESONVILLE SEAPLANES

The aircraft held at the Hobsonville Seaplane Base consist of two Fairey 111 F machines and one DR. Moth, all of which may be used either as seaplanes or land planes. With regard to the Fairey machine?.

trouble has been experienced due ta the bursting of petrol tanks while in flight. A representative of the Fairey Aviation Company is now at Hobsotville and the cause of the trouble will be ascertained.

A small two-engined flying boat has been ordered for use at Hobsonville. This machine will be most useful in training pilots for future employmer. in the large flying boats recommended for coastal reconnaissance work. Referring to civil aviation, the report states that the development el civil aviation in New Zealand bis been retarded by the cost of proridia? adequate ground organisation and tbe difficulty experienced in selecting suitable landing grounds. Local bodies throughout the Dominion, however, now realise their responsibilities ia this direction.

CIVIL AERO CLUBS At present there are in the Dominion, apart from two Air Fob* stations, seven airdromes licensed for the use of light planes and 12 others in various stages of developmen.. There are 14 aero clubs, of wmcl seven are actively training puolsSome of these clubs have provide# their own airplanes and others Attend to obtain pilot instruction by ar rangement with stronger clubs or commercial firms. Five of these clubs. Auckland. Hawke's Bay and Coast, Welliugtoa, Marlborough *® Canterbury-, have been approved the Government for the purposes o subsidy and each club, except ington. has received two Moth auplanes. making a total of nine oc content planes on loan to clubs. Wellington Aero Club will recel ~ second machine when it has further progress. It is not P 0 • , subsidise all clubs which aPP. - Government assistance and the P 0 { intention is to recommend a tou seven aero clubs for a oorertuneai r .\s yet no civil air lines have begun operations in the DomimoD- r companies, the Goodwin. Ch“*e*£ Aviation Company and Hamilton ways, Limited, have been the past IS months in aerial tax The provision of a new hang __ more up-to-date workshops at is being considered.