NEW ZEALANDER ABROAD

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29916, 1 September 1962, Page 8

NEW ZEALANDER ABROAD

Captain Ronald Hartley Airline Pilot [Specially written for “The Press” by MAUREEN EPPSTEIN] LONDON, August 20. WHEN small boys dream of commanding huge airliners carrying princesses across the world, they may think with envy of Captain Ronald Hartley, who in August was chosen to lake Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon to Jamaica for the independence celebrations. Captain Hartley was born in Auckland in 1909, and educated at Auckland Grammar School. When he was 19 years old his parents returned to England, taking him with them.

His memeory of New Zealand is a picture of beaches and bush. "When I was a boy we used to jolt down a

dirt road to the beach at Muriwai or Piha, and when we got there we would have the whole place to ourselves —not like the noisy over-

crowded holiday places here in England." He remembers boy scout camps on the shores of the Manukau har-

bour, with the bush coming down to the water, and long hot summers with warm water for swimming. Now he has a cottage in Devon, but even in mid-summer the water could only be rescribed

as “bracing." He found the different way of life in England hard to get used to at first. “In my first year I rushed around

joining clubs —tennis clubs, athletics clubs—anything to make friends." He w’as conscious of the class distinctions in English society. “It sometimes worried me that I didn't know much about

things like wines, or the right brand of cigars or caviare. Now that I am older, and know more about men, I have learned better. “I had just completed my

schooling, and didn't know what to da for a living so of course I was delighted at the prospect of travelling, he said. In England he tried various jobs, and by the time war broke out in 1939 he was managing a furniture store in Halifax. Yorkshire. “You just couldn’t keep out. ’ he said, and so he joined the Royal Air Force, and won the D.F.C. and Bar while serv-

ing as a Mosquito bomber pilot in the Pathfinder Force The war had set his career, and when it ended he went with his commanding officer. Air Vice Marshal D C. T. Bennet to form British South American Airways, which later became amalgamated with 80.A.C. “So I have not really changed jobs, just slipped from one to the

next,” he said. He was one of the first 80.A.C. pilots to train on Britannia aircraft, and is

now deputy flight manager of the Britannia 102 flight. In 1960 he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. Captain Hartley has never returned to New Zealand. He has married an English woman, and now lives in Berkshire with his wife and three children, all of whom consider themselves English. But in spite of his long absense. Captain Hartley is still very proud of being a Zealander. “There is something about the land of one’s birth that makes you always loyal to her." he said. He is proud of New Zealand's social legislation, and the high reputation that New Zealanders have in England, a reputation gained, he thinks, from their services during the two world wars He had come to realise that most people needed his help and friendship more than he needed theirs, and he has worked on this assumption throughout.his career. “I have tried to bring up my children the same way too When they showed signs of shyness at an early age. I used to tel] them, if they were going to a party: "Now don’t you dare have a good time until you see some little boy or girl who looks lonely and make friends with him,” Could he go back to New Zealand? Next year he hopes to bring his family to discover again the places he knew in childhood, and to see some of the parts, particularly in the South Island, that he has not yet seen And he has vague plans of eventually retiring to New Zealand But he has no LDubts about his present job. “I wouldn't consider changing—this is too much fun." he said. Like small boys with mechanical toys, the oilots are fascinated by their machines. “And where in the world would you get such big beautiful toys to play

with as at London Airport." said Captain Hartley. Flying the big planes demands great skill and physical fitness. "It

is no co-incidence that many airline pilots enjoy sailing in their spare time. It gives them the same physical pleasure in using their hands and their muscles. Nor is it a co-incidence that few pilots enjoy drinking more than a very moderate amount of alcohol. Once you start drinking, you are no use in an aircraft,” he said. On his flights he has visited most of the countries of the world, and now does his shopping on a global scale. “For instance, whenever I need some new shirts, I just wait until my next trip to Singapore," he said. Planning Of New Aircraft When he is not flying, Captain Hartley can watch the airliners come and go from the window of his office at London Airport, where he handles administrative questions connected with the Britannia 102 fleet. “I enjoy dealing with people, and I love the clash of personalities and opinions that you get in such a huge and complex organisation as this,” he said. Much of his work involves the planning of new aircraft. "We are surrounded by experts who know what is possible—it is our job to stand in the middle of the argument and tell them exactly what we require." In such things as the layout of cockpits. pilots can bring practical experience, and Captain Hartley and his colleagues are at present working for a standardisation of cockpit design This is so that a pilot can if necessary step into a strange plane and know where all the instruments are likely to be on the panel His latest interest is the new Vickers VCIO aircraft, which is due to replace the Britannia 102 in October. Captain Hartley, who has already spent some time studying the plane at the Vickers factory, is enthusiastic about it.

He is still enthusiastic too about his recent command of the royal charter to Jamaica. “It was a great honour, and needless to say a very enjoyable trip." he said He now treasures a special souvenir—a pair of gold cufflinks engraved with an “M” and the royal crest, which were presented to him by Princess Margaret after the flight.

Danish TV.— Denmark had 797.829 licenced television sets —one for every five people—at the beginning of August The Radio and Television Manufacturers’ Association estimaled about another 112.000 unlicensed sets were operating. (Copenhagen. August 30.)