FLYING ACTIVITIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 28 April 1938, Page 9

FLYING ACTIVITIES

WAIRARAPA AND RUAHINE AERO CLUB INCREASE IN FLYING HOURS A meeting of the committee of the Wairarapa and Ruahine Aero Club was held last night, the president, Mr A. McDonald, being in the chair. The flying report for March showed that the club’s machines flew 132 hours 20 minutes, an increase of 32 hours compared with the corresponding month last year. The total flying hours for the half-year was 802 hours 55 minutes, an increase of 375 hours 20 minutes, on the corresponding- six months of the previous year. The half-year’s figures compared very favourably with the flying done for the whole of the previous twelve months, when the flying hours totalled 844 hours 5 minutes. The increase was largely due to the civil reserve training scheme, under which nine pilots were trained, mostly during the last half-year. There were 32 cross-country flights during the month to Auckland, Feilding, Dannevirke, Palmerston North, Nelson, Wellington and return trips to Masterton. Two pilots, Messrs N. W. T. Beetham and B. E. Skeet obtained their endorsed A licences. Mr R. L. MacGregor passed his B licence theory examination. The committee extended its congratulations to these pilots on their success.

One pilot member and three ordinary members were elected. Mr M. L. Perry was appointed as the club’s representative on the committee of the Dannevirke Airport Association.

The date of the annual meeting was fixed for June 7, and the date of closing of nominations for officers of the club, May 23. The rules of the club are to be amended, for which notice of motion will be incorporated in the notice calling the annual meeting.

The resignation of the pilot-instruct-or, Mr K. R. Johnston, was accepted with regret. Mr Johnston had been the club’s pilot-instructor for the past 18 months. He will be leaving Masterton about May 10. It was stated that the club’s new cabin machine, the Whitney Straight, was being extensively used for crosscountry flight and was proving very popular with passengers.