FLYING IN 1930

Evening Star, Issue 20688, 10 January 1931, Page 2

FLYING IN 1930

SUCCESS OF AERO CLUBS » A YEAR OF AWAKENING " IMPERIAL AIR ROUTES [Written by H. L. Chisholm, for the ‘Evening Star.’] Reviewed from the standpoint of aviation, the year 1930 has been one of progress, and so far as New Zealand is concerned, might be described as “ a year of awakening.” . Along with the scientific and technical progress which has been made has been an increase in ■ the safety of flying. The public have come to a greater realisation of the growing importance of flight, both in peace ana war. More abundant use has been made of the air routes for commercial and postal purposes, and here, in Now Zealand, we have had our first experience of the benefits of the air mail.

THE NEW ZEALAND YEAR. Opening with civil aviation in a very rudimentary stage, the year closed with a chain of aero clubs in operation from one end of the dominion to the other, the inauguration of three regular passenger services, and the promise of future additions in this direction. The large number of iclubs formed in the smaller centres have been brought together under the wing of the larger clubs, as was done at Ashburton, or banded into, a group, in such a way that operations can be effectively carried out. Palmerston North, Wanganui, Hawera, and New, Plymouth are now the constituent branches of the Western Federated Hying Club, so that at the present time there are nine clubs working in New Zealand. These have a membership of over 2,000, and 118 licenses have Been issued to pupils of the clubs during the past twelve months. Three fatal accidents occurred during the year, the death roll being four. Fatality figures should always be considered’ in relation to the number of miles flown during the period inider review, and when one considers the amount of flying which has been done in New Zealand recently, the rate cannot be regarded as high. Not one of these accidents took place in the course of a “ joy ride,” or a commerciahflight, and the small number of lives lost furnishes an outstanding proof of the degree of safety to which the flying machine has been brought. The revival of gliding as a sport in the Northern Hemisphere has had its echo in New Zealand, particularly in the North Island, where gliding clubs have been formed in Auckland, Hamilton, Hawke’s Bay, and Palmerston North. , u Aero club conferences which have been held in Blenheim and Wellington have resulted in the clubs forming a New Zealand body exercising similar powers to those of tho Royal Aero Club, to which it is Imped to affiliate. Auckland is the only active club, not yet a member of that body, and it is hoped that it will not bfl long before it joins with the others, in putting all civil flying under a controlling body which operates for mutual benefit. Private owners have become more numerous during the year, though private builders have not shown the necessary, qualifications for the construction and operation of their craft, and there is not a single privately-built machine flying at the present time, and none has yet reached tho stage of registration. . To the present time sixty-five civil aircraft have been registered, and of these fifty-seven are either at work, in agents’ hands, or in process of assembly. Every one of this number is of British manufacture, and twenty-eight of them ate used by aero clubs, thirteen are for commercial purposes, nine are private machines, and the remaining seven aeroplanes are in the hands of the agents for the various makes of machines.

A census of the various types of machine in New Zealand shows that there are thirty-six Moths, seven Spartans, four Avlans, four Desoutters, two Puss Moths, one Bluebird, one Windhover flying boat, and one Autogiro. Military aviation in tho dominion has had an eventful year. Through the efforts of tho Director of Air Services, Wing-commander S. Grant-Dalton, freat improvements have been made, ho Royal Air Force system of ranktitles has been adopted, the picturesque titles being pleasingly distinct from the former army titles. Then in September the Territorial Air Force was created a wing, of four squadrons, replacing tho formless body which had previously existed. The drastic cut in the amount allotted to the Air Force in the Estimates came as a crippling blow, and it was followed by the announcement that the refresher courses had been, at least, “postponed.” The year closes, however, with a Ministerial promise that tho Government will accord every encouragement to tho Air Force of the dominion,” and aviators are hoping that this is a sign that tho Government has awakened to tho value of air defence.

Two New Zealand aviators have exchanged the joystick for tho pen. and Messrs John Hamilton have published ‘ Night-Raiders of tho Air.’ by Mr AR. Kingsford, of Nelson, a former pilot of No. 100 Squadron, and ' Solo to Sydney,’ a very interesting account of Mr E. C. Chichester’s England-Aus-tralia flight. Proof of tho wakening interest in aeronautical affairs in tho dominion is that four New Zealanders have focussed the eyes of the world upon them as they slid stage by stage down the long trail from England to Australia. Firstly came Chichester, then Piper and Kay, and lastly Garden, and in addition to these successes were the two attempts which Mr C. P. Parkerson, of Auckland, made, but which were ended by crashes in France. NOTABLE FLIGHTS. The Atlantic and England-Australia, those favourite routes for long-distance flyers, have been well patronised, Hinkler’s time on tho latter route having proved a great attraction. The greatest flights of the year have been: Kingsford Smith’s IOJ-day trip to Australia Costes and Bellonte’s non-stop flight from Paris to New York, the lion. Mrs Bruce’s journey from London to Tokio, and finally Amy Johnson’s Australian flight. Kingsford Smith’s great effort, which clipped live days from Hinkler’s record, stands above any other flight of 1930, demonstrating again, as it did, what a great pilot he is and the capabilities of the modern light aeroplane. After that comes Costes’ effort, the first nonstop flight from Europe to the Continent of America, a flight which cost" Nungesser and Colt their lives three years ago. Mrs Bruce’s effort was greater than that of Amy lolmson, though it was loss lauded, because it was longer, was over a more difficult route, and because of her lack of experience. This list is indicative of the place which Britain holds in the aviation world, and proves that the excellence of British aircraft, which are exported

to twenty-four other countries, is equalled by the quality of the men and women who fly them. EMPIRE IN THE AIR. The progress of Imperial Airways during the year has been one of organisation, which has reduced their previous running time to India by a day, and their service no\v runs from London to Delhi weekly. Since July New Zealand business men have been able to use their service for their mail, and further extensions to this airline will increase its benefit to New Zealand. India has been the stumbling block impeding the extension of the sei’vice to Australia, the Indian Government having been unwilling to allow Imperial Airways to operate across India, preferring to run the Karachi-Singapore stages itself. Negotiotions • are! now nearly completed, however, and it is anticipated that the machines will be living to Rangoon by October next, and little difficulty is anticipated over the remainder" of the route to- Australia, and Imperial Airways have made provision in their estimates for 1931 for the extension of the service towards Australia. The past vear has also seen the completion of the plans for the service to Cape Town, the route for which was surveyed by Sir Alan Cobham in 1925. and the machines shoiild be traversing the whole distance within the next three months. The RICH disaster has put the Question of airship services on the shelf, and the policy which is to be followed m this direction will not be known until after the commission has made its report. If, however, we are to have airship services the halt in the airship programme will prove profitable to the cause of aviation if the result is a greater safety for the services when they do operate. Every advance of the red finger which points the trails of Imperial Airways on the maps increases the value of "the services to New Zealand, and 1930 has seen a full year’s progress towards the time when the dominion is in complete aerial communication with Great Britain.