Pilot Training Began 50 Years Ago

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31399, 19 June 1967, Page 12

Pilot Training Began 50 Years Ago

The start of flying training from the Sockburn flying grounds 50 years ago will be commemorated late this year by the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

Although the first passenger flight was made 50 years ago today, the Air Force will not mark the occasion in any special way. Instead, it intends to hold a flying displayopen day either in October or November.

At Wigram this afternoon a Christchurch artist, Mr Maurice Conly, will present a painting to the base showing the first passenger flight in a Caudron biplane. The first passenger was Sir Henry Wigram, the founder of tiie Canterbury (N.Z.) Aviation Company Ltd. At the controls was the company’s first chief flying instructor, Mr C. M. Hill.

Mr Conly strove for authenticity. Hangers and trees in background of the painting were reproduced from contemporary photographs. It took Mr Conly more than a month to paint the picture and research took a little longer.

In recent months Mr Conly and several fellow enthusiasts have been compiling volumes of old documents and photographs from which later they hope to produce a comprehensive history of the company in booklet form.

In their efforts the enthusiasts have travelled hundreds of miles looking for the survivors of the 182 pilots trained by the company during the First World War. The Canterbury Museum has agreed to accept much of the collected material. A similar model of the Caudron to the one in Mr Conly’s painting was last year built up into flying condition at Stradishall R.A.F. station. It will be housed in the R.A.F. Museum at Henlow.

Messrs G. Lyon (chairman), T. R. Harrison, J. S. Haworth, T. B. Madsen (all nominated by the New Zealand Port Employers’ Association), F. N. Bums, A. D. Gibb, and R. A. Rockliff (nominated by the Picton Waterfront Workers’ Union), have been appointed the Picton Port Conciliation Committee.