"A JOKE."

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 139, 13 June 1936, Page 14

"A JOKE."

MELBOURNE 'DROME. COMPARED WITH WIGRAM. CLUB MEMBER'S VIEW. The remark once made by the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith to the secretary of the Canterbury Aero Club (Mr. P. R. Climie) that Wigram aerodrome was superior to anything in Australia and probably the best in the southern hemisphere is supported by the view of a foundation member of the club at present in Australia. Writing of Melbourne he states: "A few visits to Essendon were enough to convince me that it was a thoroughly bad aerodrome, and, of course, compared with Wigram, it is merely a joke." Referring to the need for advanced training, Mr. Climie's correspondent writes: "I daresay you have seen that there is quite a shortage of pilots trained to the high standard demanded by the modern air lines over here. It seems to me that there will be a

similar shortage in New Zealand before very long, and I think the Canterbury Aero Club ought to aim at being the only club in the Dominion to give the advanced and specialised training which is so important now.

"If the club secured all the candidates in the country for advanced training, it should do fairly well. It would also be a good argument for an extension of the taxi license after the automatic four-year period is up, for you Mould need a small, .twinengined machine to give twin-engined training, and the only way to make that pay wo\ikl bo to use it for taxi work.

"You would also need an increased subsidy from the Government, but if you were the only club in the country doing the job, you ought to be able to get that. Probably this sounds a little ambitious at the moment, but I am convinced that there is going to bo great civil aviation expansion even in small countries like New Zealand within the next few years, and the standard demanded of pilots is obviously going to be high. Wireless is going to be particularly important. The two latest co-pilots appointed by Qantas-Empire Airways were obviously selected for their knowledge of radio, rather than for their flying experience."