N.Z. AIR SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 72, 18 December 1935, Page 12

N.Z. AIR SERVICES

Assembly of Machines For Cook Strait Run PROGRESS OF WORK Assembly of two of the machines for the Cook Strait air service linking Wellington, Blenheim and Nelson by air is now nearly finished, and it is hoped that the service will be operating round about Christmas or early in January. The machines are De Havilland Rapides, similar to the Tainui, which was flown in the centenary air race from Mildenhall to Melbourne and then across the Tasman Sea by Squadron Leader J. D. Hewett and Flying Officer C. E. Kay. The planes will be distinctive in colour, with the wings, tail unit and lower part of the fuselage silver, the top of the fuselage black and the struts and under-carriage blue. In the passenger cabin soft grey is the predominant colour, but most of the fittings are glittering chromium plate. The machines are fitted to carry six passengers, a pilot and luggage. Each passenger has an upholstered seat adjustable to any angle, with provision for ample leg room. There are roof lights in the cabin, as well as ventilators and heaters.

The pilot occupies a separate compartment in the nose of the machine. There is full blind-flying equipment, as well as wireless telephony and telegraphy, so that the machines will always be in touch with the ground stations.

Two Gipsy six-cylinder motors, each of 200 horse-power, are mounted, one on each side of the fuselage, giving the machines a maximum speed of about 155 miles an hour. Cook Strait Airways, Ltd., will use its machines at about 130 miles an hour on the service over Cook Strait. Flight Lieutenant G. B. Bolt and Flying Officer A. T. Orchard, the pilots to the company, have superintended the assembly of the machines, which has been carried out by the De Havilland agent in Auckland. TIME-TABLE FIXED Decision of Board Tiie time-table for Cook Strait Airways on its service serving AVellingtou, Blenheim and Nelson is fixed in a reserved decision of the Transport Co-ordination Board, which had to rearrange the schedule so that it would dovetail with that of Union Airways on tiie Palmerston North-Dunedin run at Blenheim, enabling Wellington to be served through Blenheim. The time-table approved by the board is: Nelson, depart 7.45 a.in.; Wellington, arrive 8.45, depart 9.0; Blenheim, arrive 9.30, depart 9.40; AVellington, arrive 10.10, depart 10.30; Nelson, arrive 11.20, depart 1.45 p.m.; Blenheim, arrive 2.30, depart 2.10; AVellington, arrive 3.10, depart 4.30; Blenheim arrive 5.0, depart 5.10; Nelson, arrive

The time-table of Union Airways provides that a machine -\yill leave Palmerston North on the southward flight at 5.30 a.m., arriving at Blenheim at 9.27. Passengers who Wish to do so will then be . able to transfer to the Cook Strait Airways machine leaving Blenheim at 9.40 for AVellington, and arriving at 10.10. On the northward flight the Union Airways plane leaves Dunedin at 11.30 a.m. and arrives at Blenheim at 2.30 p.m. South Island passengers for AVellington ‘-will then transfer to the Cook Strait Airways plane leaving Blenheim at 2.40, arriving at 3.10. The fares fixed by the board, in another decision, are: Nelson-Welling-ton £2/5/-, Wellington-Blenheim £1 5/-, Nelson-Blenheim £l/10/-. The Union Airways fares are: Palmerston North-Blenheim £2/5/-, BlenheimChristchurch £2/15/-, ChristchurchDunedin £3/10/-. These fares and time-tables will be in force till the first meeting of the board in February, when the board will sit again to review the matter.