General News

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31344, 14 April 1967, Page 12

General News

Successful Flights The first flight of the Boeing 737 on April 9 at Seattle was described by the Boeing Aircraft Corporation as the most successful in the history of its commercial programme. On Wednesday the aircraft completed its second and third flights, the total flight time to yesterday being 10 hours. Maximum altitude on the flights was 23,000 ft, and the maximum speed was 285 knots. The 737 was tentatively scheduled to return to Seattle from Everett yesterday to continue its flight-test programme. Field Training Twenty-six members of No. 40 senior non-commissioned officer course at the Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Wigram will carry out field training exercises at Little Malaya between April 20 and 28. Also taking part will be six students from No. 4 junior signals officers’ course. Flight Lieutenant R. M. Cattermole will be in charge of the training. Air Ambulance A man suffering from a cardiac complaint was flown to Auckland from Wigram yesterday for treatment at an Auckland hospital. His condition was reported as serious. A DC3 of the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s No. 42 Squadron made the flight. The aircraft, under the command of Flight Lieutenant P. G. Bevin, left Wigram about 10.30 a.m. Partly Cloudy The weather in Christchurch yesterday was partly cloudy, with a moderate southerly wind. The maximum temperature recorded at the weather office at Harewood was 58 degrees at 1 p.m. At 6 a.m. at Harewood the temperature was 43 degrees, and by noon it had risen to 57 degrees. By 3 p.m. the temperature had dropped to 56 degrees. The same temperature was recorded at the Botanic Gardens at 3 p.m. also. The Government Life building temperature gauge showed 58 degrees at 4 p.m. Thai’s Bicycle A grant of £lO to replace a bicycle in Thailand was made by the council of the Mission to Lepers at its annual meeting in Palmerston North. The bicycle belonged to a former leprosy patient who had lost all his fingers. It had special hand sockets. The patient, who acts as an evangelist in a number of Thai villages, received the bicycle from the boys and girls of the mission's Torchbearers’ organisation. Soon after he learned to ride the bicycle it was stolen. A strong padlock and chain will be given with the new bicycle. Samoan Pawpaws Two tons of tropical pawpaws flown by Air New Zealand from Apia, Western Samoa, were sold in Auckland this week. The consignment was the largest flown from the islands. The Western Samoan Government eventually hopes to fly three tons and a half of pawpaws a week to Auckland. The Western Samoan Trade and Development Commissioner (Mr E. Stehlin) said that secondary crops would not normally be sent by boat, but were ideal for air-freighting.