BOMBING PLANES FOR WIGRAM

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 234, 1 July 1939, Page 12

BOMBING PLANES FOR WIGRAM

Flight From Hobsonville Yesterday

By Telegraph—Press Association. AUCKLAND, June 30.

After assembly and testing by the staff of Hobsonville Air Base, two of the Fairpy Gordon medium-range bombers, 2(5 of which recently arrived iu New Zealand from Egyptian depots of the Royal Air Force, were flown today from Auckland to Wellington, en route to the Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Wigram.

Other machines of tlie shipment will be sent south as they become available. Piloted by Flying Officer K. G. Smith and Pilot Officer L. 11. Higgins, Wigram, the machines left Hobsonville this morning, and advice was received in Auckland during the afternoon that they had landed at Rongotai aerodrome. It is proposed to continue the flight to Wigram tomorrow.

Steady progress is being made by the Hobsonville staff in the assembly’ of the Fairey Gordons which arrived from Egypt on June 3. The first of their type to come to New Zealand the machines. are biplanes, with folding wings and an armament of one fixed Vickers gun, firing forward, and one Lewis gun in the rear cockpit. Bombs are carried under the wing. Though far from being obsolete, the Fairey Gordons are being replaced in the Near Eastern stations by more modern machines.

When the purchase of the aircraft fl’as announced, it. was stated that they would be allotted to different New Zealand squadrons, After their assembly they are tested at Hobsonville and flown to their destination. It is expected that several further flights to Wigram will be made.

The two Fairey Gordon mediumrange bombers landed at Rongotai aerodrome, Wellington, at 3 p.m. yesterday, three and a half hours after leaving Auckland. Flying conditions were excellent on the trip.