Silver Wings Along New Zealand-Wide Air Routes

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 65, 9 December 1938, Page 24 (Supplement)

Silver Wings Along New Zealand-Wide Air Routes

FLIGHT, most marvellous of man’s achievements, is the prerogative of every New Zealander to-day. Already cities of north and south arc brought within a few hours' journey bv air: within a year Sydney will be no more than a dav’s flight across the wild and boisterous lasman, and America but a three-day journey distant. Although in war years two commercial companies were carrying out joyrides, flying exhibitions, and photographic and survey flights, air travel was unheardof in New Zealand until recent years. During and after the war training of service pilots, and refresher courses for experienced airmen, were carried out in conjunction with civil companies. The New Zealand Air Force was not formed until 1923, and not until 1929 were civil living clubs given vigorous Government support. From then, however, progress was rapid. In 1933 the Government approved a scheme to establish landing grounds throughout the Dominion. There are now 40 aerodromes completed, and 70 other grounds fit for at least emergency landing-places. The first regular airmail service in the Dominion started, strangely' enough, not between large cities, but between two little West Coast townships. Hokitika and Okura. There are now four air services operating in New Zealand, and their machines connect Gisborne, Napier, Palmerston, Auckland, Dunedin, New Plymouth, Wellington. Blenheim, Christchurch, and Nelson and Hokitika, Okura, Haast, and the Franz Joseph glacier. In addition, there are several air-taxi companies, and most aero clubs carry' out this work as a side-line.

Of the eleven subsidised aero clubs, Auckland and Marlborough are oldest, dating back to 1928 —ten years ago. So young is popular flying in New Zealand. To date, the aero clubs have trained some 850 pilots, of whom fewer than 40 hold B licences, qualifying them for commercial flying. At present the clubs are turning out 150 qualified pilots yearly. They own, in all, about 40 planes. Their flying members number 650. It is interesting to compare the numbers of their aircraft with those in other branches of flying in New Zealand. In 1936 there were 47 aero club, 19 commercial, 24 privately-owned, and 28 Air Force machines. The entire air strength of New Zealand then numbered 118 planes, of which a large proportion were, by the standards of other countries, obsolete. The position has since improved slightly. Experimental airmail services began in 1920-21, when flights were made in North Auckland and South Canterbury to test the practicability of such services. They did not pay, and were abandoned. New Zealand Air Travel’s South-Westland service, launched in 1934, was the first practical service in the Dominion, therefore, it catered for an area of poor and difficult transport facilities, and so filled a real need. In 1935, East Coast Airways started to ply between Gisborne and Napier, a service later extended to Palmerston North. At almost the same time, Cook Strait Airwavs began to operate between Nelson. Blenheim and Wellington, and Union Airways between Palmerston North and Dunedin. Later the services were extended to link New Plymouth and Auckland with the system, providing a truly-national chain of air lines. In 1936, plans were announced for a transtasman airline, but negotiations fell through. Representatives of the English, Australian and New Zealand Governments have since come to an agreement, however. It is expected that the service will begin next February. A trial flight was made last summer by the liner Centaurus. Plans are also 'being made for a trans-Pacilic service, conducted by Pan-American Airways. Trial flights were made. The service was actually started, when the complete loss of machine and crew off Samoa temporarily checked operations. Now this service also is expected to begin early in the new year. So at last, after the rest of the world lias travelled by air for two decades, the facilities of flight are at last being extended to this Dominion. The early pioneers of a generation ago took three months to travel by clipper ship from London to the Antipodes: but we. their children, will go there in a week-, clipping the wings of time.