Aero Club Discusses Loss Of Pilot Subsidy

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29843, 8 June 1962, Page 13

Aero Club Discusses Loss Of Pilot Subsidy

The only w’ay the Dominion’s aero clubs might get some new form of pilot subsidy from the Government would be to have someone constantly hammering for it in Wellington, said Mr H. D Christie at the annual meeting of the Canterbury Aero Club last evening.

Mr Christie was commenting on remarks by Mr D. Donovan, who said that the dub paid an annual levy ot £29 to the Royal New Zea land Aero Club and asked what the New Zealand club was doing for the benefit ot aero clubs in the Dominion Mr Donovan said it was a poor state of affairs, in view of the Government's withdrawal of' the pilot subsidy that the Canterbury Aero Club—“a £30,000 organisation” —had no national body to represent it in talks with the Government.

“You will not get anyone to hammer away for your cause in Wellington at the miserable stipend the club pays at the moment.” said Mr Christie. “It will take much more to make his task worth while ” The chairman (Mr R. M Buchanan). an executive member of the New Zealand elub. said that that club was not “just sitting doing nothing in Wellington.” At recent meetings the organisation had had with the Civil Aviation Administration much discussion bad been devoted to ways of bringing some new subsidy

scheme into being for the benefit of aero clubs, said Mi Buchanan.

The Aviation Industry Association—a very financial body—had a strong case in wanting some form of assistance on the flying side to make up for its shortage of pilots. ‘ The representations of the New Zealand Aero Club at these rtieetingr had prevented the association from getting what it sought To a question. Mr Buchanan said that as far as he knew no scheme was contemplated whereby the Treasury wasto divert money to any other part of the aviation Indus*, rj at the expense of aero clubs

The New Zealand club, he said, had been invited to attend the forthcoming meetings on airport dues called by the C.A.A The organisation had some thoughts of approaching the Government about subsidies. He felt quite sure it would get a sympathetic hearing. The whole economy of the country was the factor w’hich decided these things, said Mr Buchanan “We cannot just go along and say we want this and that.”

Members who might question what the New Zealand club had done for the Canter bury club should be reminded that all clubs were given three years’ notice, over the allotted five years, that subsidies were to cease. “The R.N.Z.A.C. got us this,” he said.