DAMAGES WRIT.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 408, 15 April 1937, Page 7

DAMAGES WRIT.

ACTION BY PILOT. I Mr. H. S. Broadbent. ! j Sydney, April 9. I Three days ago there appeared in : the Sydney Morning Herald an interview with the famous Australian I pilot, H. S. Broadbent. This dis.in- | guished aviator holds a high place among our record-breaking flying men. He held the England-Australian record of six days seven hours 'till it was beaten last year by Jean Batten, and lie still holds the round-Auslralia record. He will probably compete in the next King’s Cup race at Home, and he may visit America for the National Air Races. He has resigned his position as chief pilot of the Buller Air Transport Company which operates 'the Cootamundra-Charleville route and links up wi h the Quan'as Empire Airways, and Broadbent was careful i to explain 'to the newspaper man who interviewed him that his sole reason for resigning was that he wished to give himself time to arrange for his flight to England, which is fixed for an early date. Air Services Criticised. The greater part of this interview was taken up wi h criticism of the poor equipment, of Australian aerodromes and comments on Australian j flying methods generally. Broadbent described most of our aerodromes 1 as bad and dangerous; he thought that there was a tendency for airtransport lines to fly to schedule without due consideration for the weather; he considered that pilots in Australia are expected to fly too long nours for too small salaries; and he bolds that "it will take some years before air transport will be able to maintain safely in all weathers the regularity of land transport.” It should be pointed out, however, that in Broadbent’s remarks there was nothing to suggest that he regarded his own occupation or commercial vocation generally as presenting undue risks, and he informed tiis Interviewer that under the Miller company that had employed him, “all the pilots are under instructions not to attempt to get through if there is in their opinion the sllghest risk.” Conflicting Interview. That large section of the general public which is particularly interested in aviation here must have read this Sydney Morning Herald interview wi.h considerable satisfaction, for two days before there had appeared in the Sun an interview which was calculated to make the most optimistic of our air-minded enthusiasts a Little uneasy. For in this Sun interview readers were inI formed that Broadbent had resigned ; his position and given up work as an air mail pilot “in protest against the principle of expecting the pilot to get through at all hazards.’’ In another sentence of the interview Broadbent is quoted a.s saying, | “Get through despite the weather, j speed and competition with surface | transport are making air-line flying I 100 hazardous.” And a little later he ; added, “I am giving up commercial -flying probably, and my reason is that I disagree with the pr-ificiple that a pilot should be expected to get through. I am all for the Imperial Airways’ slogan—‘when the wea her is bad, sit down’.” Action Against Newspaper. To grasp the full significance of these quotations, it: should be remembered that in the Sydney Morning ' Herald interview which appeared two days later, Broadbent’ stated that in the company which employed him pilots were carefully warned that they must not attempt to go through if there was; in their opinion, any risk. Moreover, in the Sydney Morning Herald interview Broadbent began by saying that he i s giving up commercial flying for some time because of his projected flight to England and other plane that he has made; 'and he concluded with the assurance that his “sole reason" for surrendering his job was to make preparations for his coming trip to England. Those who have read both these interviews purporting to ’be the very words of Broadbent, may be forgiven for finding some difficulty in reconciling them with each other; and they have probably learned without much surprise that Broadbent has issued a writ against the Sun claimIng £lO,OOO damages; r