The Dominion TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1930. MR. CHICHESTER’S ACHIEVEMENT

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 117, 11 February 1930, Page 10

The Dominion TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1930. MR. CHICHESTER’S ACHIEVEMENT

New Zealand is proud to welcome to-day Mr. F. C. Chichester, the first of her sons to complete a long-distance flight of major importance. Wellington will be doubly happy in conveying the Dominion’s welcome this morning because Mr. Chichester is a native of the City. His successful venture, undertaken lone-handed and with the narrowest margin of experience, demonstrates that the pioneering spirit still lives—the spirit that spells pluck, endurance, enterprise and defiance of the unknown. It would be idle to compare Mr. Chichester’s achievement with that of any of his predecessors on the England to Australia route. Even in Mr. Hinkler’s case the long lone flight was guided by an airman of much greater experience. The value of the New Zealander’s success lies in the fact that it brings home to the Dominion the rapid development of air transport and its future possibilities in reducing our isolation at the Antipodes. These implications will be further emphasised if there is a favourable issue to the venture of Flying-officers Piper and Kay. Some of the problems requiring solution before a regular air service can be established to connect New Zealand with the outside world are discussed by Wing-Commander Grant-Dalton, Director of Air Services, in an article published to-day. The chief obstacle is the Tasman Sea, combining the perils of distance and unruly weather. Wing-Commander Grant-Dalton speaks of the risks of using land machines and the limitations of flying-boats for distance flights. His tentative conclusion is that the Dominion must look to airships to overcome the difficulties of long-range ocean flights. The same conclusion is reached by the British Air Minister who was reported yesterday as saying that “the future of Empire air transport lies largely with airships.” That dictum may surprise many people, especially in fa.ee of the aeroplane’s performances in pioneering the routes from England to the Cape and to Australia. In both cases, however, there are practicable land bridges over the whole distance. For that reason Lord Thomson expects to be able to extend Imperial Airways’ services to the Cape and Australia during the current year.

Quite otherwise is the case of Canada and New Zealand, the Atlantic and the Tasman presenting ■ long ocean stretches to overcome. And for adequate air transport services to Australia and the Cape, as is indicated by Wing-Commander Grant-Dalton, the airship has great advantages. Both its range and its carrying capacity recommend it. Meanwhile the routes are being pioneered by the aeroplane and, if the development of the airship to the stage of regular commercial service may still seem afar off, its. coming is hastened by such flights as that completed by Mr. Chichester.