CONDITION BETTER

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 148, 20 March 1934, Page 10

CONDITION BETTER

Victim of Plane Crash PROGRESS SATISFACTORY Wellington Hospital reports an improvement in the condition of Mr. L. W. Swan, .who was injured in the aeroplane crash among the hills to the west of Island Bay on Saturday morning, when the pilot. Mr. E. R. Boucher, was fatally hurt. Mr. Swan’s injuries were received about the neck and face. The hospital authorities stated last night that he was not in a serious condition and was making quite satisfactory progress toward recovery. LOSS TO AERO CLUB Kingsford Smith’s Sympathy By Telegraph—Press Association. Christchurch, March 19. “I can make no comment on the crash near Rongotai aerodrome in which Mr. E. R. Boucher was killed except to express my very sincere sympathy,” said Sir Charles Kingsford Smith this evening. "It only shows how careful you have to be when flying in clouds, especially if your machine is not equipped for blind flying. The loss of Mr. Boucher, an experienced pilot. will he a great loss to the Auckland Aero Club, of which I believe he was one of the founders.” DENIAL OF LAXITY Inter-Island Air Trips ALL JOURNEYS CHECKED A denial that the system of checking and reporting aeroplanes travelling north or south from or to Wellington was “honoured more in the breach than in the observance” —as stated in a message from Blenheim published yesterday—has been made by an official of the Wellington Aero Club. It was explained to "The Dominion” that when an aeroplane leaves Wellington for Blenheim the time of departure is notified by telephone. A look-out is then maintained at Blenheim until tlie machine appears. If it is not reported within a certain time a search is instituted. Similarly Rongotai is informed of the departure times of aeroplanes leaving Blenheim for Wellington. In the case of trips from the South Island to points further north from Wellington the checking point is Paekahariki, where the stationmaster is advised of pending flights and departure times. It is obligatory for all pilots flying either north or south to circle’ o'er Paekakariki until the appearance of a signal in the form of a white sheet indicates that 'the machine concerned has been sighted and checked off. “It is quite incorrect to say that this rule has been honoured only in the breach,” the club official said. “It is the regular practice and there is a row if it is not carried out."