FLYING BY RADIO.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 26, 1 February 1937, Page 9

FLYING BY RADIO.

NEEDS ON WEST COAST.

SERVICE NEARLY READY,

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.)

GREYMOUTH, Sunday,

The air service to the west coast of the South Island will probably, begin about the middle of February, said Mr. E. H. Thomson, managing director of Cook Strait Airways, who has been making an inspection or the aerodromes which they will use for the new service It was not likely that the Westport aerodrome would be ready for use by then, but when the ground was ready the company's machines would call there.

Mr. Thomson said that the company was urging the Government to have the wireless telephone installed at the landing grounds as soon as possible. The company did not want to have a regular service without wireless. All of the company's aeroplanes were fitted with twoway wireless equipment, and while in flight were in constant communication with ground stations. The company had proposed that a fairly powerful wireless station should be erected at Hokitika, with lesser stations at the intermediate aerodromes. The Greymouth and Hokitika, stations, which will work on a 600metre wave, will be capable of both telephonic and telegraphic communication.

The air service would be a thriceWeekly one at the beginning, said Mr. Thomson, and would run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It would leave Nelson at 8 a.m. and after calling at Westport would arrive at Greymouth in time for passengers to connect with the 10.18 a.m. express for Christchurch. On the return flight the aeroplane would leave Hokitika about 10.45 ajn. and Greymouth at 11.10, arriving in Nelson in time for passengers to catch the 1.30 p.m. aeroplane from Nekon to Wellington. Travellers would be able to leave Greymouth at 11.10 and be in Wellington about 2.15, in time to catch the 3 p.m. express for Auckland.