Aero club concerned over fuel measures

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33413, 20 December 1973, Page 16

Aero club concerned over fuel measures

The Government’s latest proposals to curb aviation fuel is causing serious concern to the Canterbury Aero Club.

The club captain (Mr P. H. Scotter) said yesterday that the club was prepared to do its share along with other users to conserve fuel but that the latest proposals threatened its very livelihood. . , The Government’s fuel control measures could mean that aero clubs and owners of private aircraft can expect their activities to be severely curtailed in the near future. Mr Scotter said the club ran on a tight budget, kept its flving charge rates low ("they are the cheapjest in New Zealand,” he said) and used its fleet to the maximum. Anything which cut down the use would cause the overheads per flying hour to increase. Unlike a car club or a power-boat club the aero club employed a full-time staff of 19 and had considerable overheads. Mr Scotter said it was not a simple case of cancelling a rally or a meeting. "Our staff is specialised, and it would be difficult at this time to find jobs for them if we are forced to close down,” said Mr Scotter. "From the preliminary statement by the Minister of Civil Aviation (Dr Finlay) it seems that clubs such as ours are the first and only groups

singled out for imminent closing,” he said. Mr Scotter said that medium-powered light aircraft were at least as economical as any six-cylinder motor-car.

Yesterday a club Piper Cherokee 140 was used to fly some agricultural parts from Christchurch to a farmer in the Lees Valley 1 behind Oxford. The flight ■ took 35 minutes and slightly less than 2| gallons of fuel was used. Had the farmer made the journey to Christchurch by car it would have taken three hours and the fuel consumption would have been about eight gallons. “On a flight from Christchurch to Timaru a light aircraft will use marginally less than a six-cylinder car, while la return trip to Nelson less I than 20 gallons of fuel will be used,” he said. For training, charter and air ambulance services the club uses about 2000 gallons a week, about what a National Airways Boeing 737 uses on a return trip from Christchurch to Auckland. Mr Scotter said the club was not for week-end flyers. Its main purpose was to train pilots, many of whom, over (the years, had gone on to i serve in the fields of military land civil aviation.