FIRST R.N.Z.A.F. MOSQUITOES

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25092, 25 January 1947, Page 8

FIRST R.N.Z.A.F. MOSQUITOES

FOUR ARRIVE AT OHAKEA

CHRISTCHURCH OFFICER COMMANDS FLIGHT “ The Press ” Special Service

WELLINGTON, Jan. 24. The first four Mosquitoes of the 80 to be delivered to No. 75 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force arrived at Ohakea at 1.30 p.m. yesterday. The machines roared over the airfield in echelon starboard with the sun glistening on their silver fuselages. Then they swept round in a graceful curve almost standing on their wingtips and touched down one after the other. A few minutes before the aircraft arrived an aerobatic display was given by a Meteor and a Corsair.

The Mosquitoes, brand new Mark VI fighter-bombers which are fully operational, left Sydney at 8.10 a.m. (New Zealand time) yesterday morning. The crossing took five hours 20 minutes as the aircraft were blown off their course by a strong cross wind of 58 knots at 10.000 feet. They should have arrived last month but they were grounded in India for a modification to be fitted and again in Singapore because of flap trouble caused by the tropical rain. The organisation of the route is now complete and the remaining machines should arrive at the rate of about 10 a month. f

The Mosquitoes left Pershore, England. on December 13'and flew by way of Elmas (Sardinia), Malta. Cairo, Shibah (Iraq). Bahrein Island, Karachi, Allahabad, Calcutta. Rangoon, Penang, Singapore, Surabaya (Java), Darwin, Townsville and Sydney. Uneventful Flight The flight leader, Squadron Leader P. S. Anderson, of Christchurch, said that the trip was uneventful. Except for the crossing •of the Mediterranean from Marseilles to Sardinia the weather was good, but in that section they experienced rain and low cloud and had to put into Elmas. Flight Lieutenant K, M. Boles, D.F.C., of Auckland, was the only ether New Zealander of the flight. The others of the air crews were Flight Lieutenant R /f. Waters, Flying Officers R. R. Watson. H. G. Hudson, D.F.C., and bar, and E. E. Simms and Warrant Officers C. Armstrong and D. Milne.

The air crews were all members of the ferry pool Transport Command, Royal Air Force, and they hope to spend a little time in New Zealand before returning for more aircraft. Flight Lieutenant Boles and Flying Officer Hudson are both Pathfinders and many of the others have done considerable operational flying. Squadron Leader Anderson was flying in France in the early stages of the war. None of them has had less than 1500 hou”s flying time.

The crews were met on the tarmac by Group Captain R. J. Cohen, A.F.C., Deputy Chief of the Air Staff. The 14 New Zealand crews of No’. 75 Squadron who recently went to Britain to ferry out more Mosquitoes will spend a week’s leave in London first. The 80 aircraft, which comprise 30 new and 50 reconditioned, will form the nucleus of the future Royal New Zealand Air Force.