THE AIR AMBULANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 145, 16 December 1933, Page 10

THE AIR AMBULANCE

PATIENT DELIGHTED

AVERAGE 110 M.P.H.

Flight-Lieutenant G. Bolt, who piloted the Wellington Aero Club's new Waco machine on its first ambulance transport case from Hawera to Oamaru this week, said today, in conversation with a "Post" reporter, that everyone interested was more than pleased with the flight. "I never had the slightest doubt about it," he said, "otherwise, of course, so long a transport would never have been undertaken, but, even so, our anticipations were exceeded. Mrs. Whillans, who is seventy years of age, was delighted with the experience, and delighted also to be able to be with her people in Oamaru, for had it not been for the air ambulance the trip would have been very difficult and perhaps impossible for her. Although Mrs. Whillans is an invalid, the trip by air did not upset her in the least, and the same evening she took her tea with the family.'' The total distance covered was about 1000 miles—Wellington to Hawera, Hawera to Oamaru, and back to Wellington, he said, and the flying time was Bhr 55min, giving an average ground speed of little over 110 miles an hour. For so long a run the weather had been very good, but returning from Christchurch to Wellington a head wind was met, otherwise the average speed would have been rather better. The time occupied in the actual ambulance work was about five hours, including the tune spent at Blenheim and Christchurch, the flying time from Hawera to Oamaru being 4hr 20min. Mr. Bolt said that the Waco could have covered the distance from Blenheim, where more- fuel was taken into the tanks, to Oamaru without trouble, but _he considered it wise to refuel at Christchurch, and so have an ample margin in case cloud conditions thickened further south. "The series of short flights we have made about Wellington convinced us that the new machine is fully up to the claims made for it," said Mr. Bolt, "and this first long run in serious work has fully confirmed that opinion. It has been suggested that the club was extravagant in buying such a machine, but I don't think so. It is a first-rate passenger machine in ordinary use, and when difficult transport cases may have to be handled or in the event of emergency in Wellington or elsewhere the ambulance facilities of the Waco can be brought into commission right away, without any of the delays of improvising makeshift and unsatisfactory eauiDment." ■ H "