AVIATION IN AUCKLAND

Evening Post, Volume XCI, Issue 108, 8 May 1916, Page 5

AVIATION IN AUCKLAND

CURTISS SEAPLANE IN USE

PROGRESS OF THE SCHOOL.

(BT TELEGRAM.—SPECIAL TO TUB POST.)

AUCKLAND, This Day.

Satisfactory results have been given by the Curtiss flying boat recently purchased from Canada by Messrs. 'Walsh Bros, and Deiter for the aviation school at KohimnJama. Several flights were made during the week-end by Vivian Walsh, accompanied by a passenger— the first on Saturday morning and three more yesterday morning. The new seaplane has been brought into commission in five weeks since the despatch of the order. A cablegram was sent on the Ist April specifying the itype of machine required, the craft and its equipment were forwarded by rail from Toronto to Vancouver and brought to Auckland by the Niagara on Ist Slay. The assembling of the machine was completed on Thursday evening, and the first flight made shortly after sunrise on Saturday. Financial assistance was given to Messrs. Walsh and Dexter by a number 'of Auckland citizens, who have followed ■the work of the school with interest, and, realising that its equipment, though modern, was not sufficient to provide for the instruction of the number of pupils seeking training, offered to finance the importation of another machine. The latest addition to the equipment of the school is the Curtiss flying boat, or seaplane, built by the Curtiss aeroplane company at Toronto. It is. similar in many features of its design to the seaplane completed last year by Walsh and Dexter.' It is a smaller machine, but is equipped with an engine of higher power, an eight-cylinder four-cycle Curtiss engine, developing 90-h.p. The pilot can carry one passenger seated alongside him—a most convenient position for tuition. There are double controls altered to accord with the standard British 7jractt<;e. So far as can be judged from trials that have been made, the engine will fully accomplish the guaranteed power. Running on the water ithe machine attains a speed exceeding 50 miles an hour, and on Saturday morning-car-ried five men lifting to the surface. Even with this weight the speed in flight probably exceeds 60 miles per hour. .

A comparison between the construction of the imported seaplane and the one built in Auckland is in many respects highly favourable to the work of local enterprise. The differences are mostly in details of the work, and in most of them the skill and care of the Auckland workshops have improved on the results of the factory product.

The equipment of the school now comprises three machines, of which the other two will again be in commission shortly. , The largest will bo a seaplane constructed at the school; it is really the original craft, completely rebuilt, except the hull. Even the latter has been enlarged and improved. A new engine of 100-h.p. has been fitted, and the construction of the planes is now almost finished, so that the machine will be ready for a flight probably in a fortnight. The Caudron hydro-aeroplane will also be brought out of the hangar again shortly.