"IN THE AIR."

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 262, 5 November 1928, Page 9

"IN THE AIR."

HOW TO TI4Y 9 "QUITE SIMPLE," SAYS EXPERT. ' "Aviation is in the air just now," remarked the president of the Auckland Rotary Club to-day in explaining why Major G. A. C. Cooper had been a6ked to address members. , "There is really nothing difficult about flying," said the airman after briefly explaining the controls and other gadgets of the aeroplane. He added: "I'll guarantee that any ordinary man can learn in an hour or so to fly." A qualification followed quickly. "That is, straight-out flying. Of course, when one talks aboujt, stunts that's another matter. Usually when a new flyer proposes a stunt I agree before starting out,-but ask for confirmation when we're abowt 4000 ft up, and then find that most likely the enterprise so noticeable on the ground has evaporated, and we propose to postpone the stunt." In simple language Major Cooper proceeded to discourse on various forms of stunts, rolls, spinning and other peculiarities of aviation. A prime difficulty about flying, he said, was to arrange sufficient landing grounds, so that the difficulties of forced landings would be minimised. The local" club had sent 68 communications to various institutions in the Auckland province asking for assistance in making a list of suitable landing places. Aviation, he was satisfied, was certain to become popular locally, but it was useless thinking that it would interfere with the present railway service. No aerial eervice could compete with a railway service that travelled at night. It would, however, be of great Bervice to emergency runs to places like Whangarei and such localities, where urgency justified the greater expense. The chief problem at the moment so far as aviation in Auckland was concerned, cocnluded the officer, was to get more funds to purchase another aero- j plane. They had only three in sight and had 61 pupils wanting to learn to fly. & hearty vote of thanks to the speaker, moved by Rotarian A. Eady, was carried by acclamation.