RESTRICTION ON AIRCRAFT

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22435, 23 June 1938, Page 16

RESTRICTION ON AIRCRAFT

Miles Magisters Affected ADVICE AGAINST DIVING AND STUNTING Aero clubs throughout the Dominion have been advised, or will soon be advised, that they should place a temporary restriction on thei use of any Miles Magister aircraft they may own. This advice has been sent out by the Air Department in Wellington, and it is understood that the warning to this effect emanated in the first place from the Air Ministry in Britain. The restrictions on the machines which have been advised by the Air Department are that the aeroplanes should not be flown in excess of their cruising speed of 120 miles an hour, and that they should not be dived nor put through any aerobatics.

“The Press” communicated yesterday afternoon by telephone with Group Captain T. M. Wilkes, Controller of Civil Aviation, in Wellington, and he said that these were only temporary restrictions recommended on the method of use of this particular series of aircraft during investigations. It was one means of ensuring that no risks were taken.

As far as could be found out yesterday there have been four Miles Magisters in the Dominion, one at each of the four main centres. That belonging to the Canterbury Aero Club was crashed and written off after it had done only about 35 hours in the air, but those belonging to the Auckland, Wellington, and Otago aero clubs have been giv* ing satisfactory service. The Air Department has insisted that some proportion of the time put in by the trainees at the aero clubs for the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Air Force must be in low-winged monoplanes (the Magister is of this type), but it is only at the four main centres that pilots are being trained for either of these forces. The four Magisters were obtained under the Government’s deferred payment scheme. The Miles Magister has enjoyed considerable popularity in England as a trainer, and has been ordered in quantities by the Royal Air Force for ab initio training. It is a development of the Miles Hawk trainer.