BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

Evening Star, Issue 21711, 4 May 1934, Page 6

BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

[By Gypbt Moth.]

PILOTS AND PLANES. Quite a good deal of flying has been done from the Taieri during tho past week, and the instructor has been kept fairly busy giving dual instruction. At least three of the pupils are getting toward the “ solo ” stage, and it is hoped to be able to soon congratulate them on successful “first solos.” Tho Middlemarch pupils are very keen, and manage to come to the Taieri at least once a week for tuition. So far a suitable ground for training is not available at Middlemarch. This is unfortunate, as there arc one or two grounds that could be made suitable if sufficient local interest could be aroused. With the foreshore landing ground finished Middlemarch would be only 35min from the heart of Dunedin by tho ordinary light plane. Mr C. J. Reed has joined the club as a flying member, and commenced dual instruction this week. Mr N. Creighton has completed his fifteen hours’ solo, and has commenced advance dual instruction with a view to having his license endorsed to carry passengers. Tho Redwing ZKADD, piloted by Flying-officer Mathicson, with Mr Laun as passenger, arrived at the Taieri from the West Coast on Thursday, and left for the north on Sunday. The Redwing is an interesting machine, in which the pilot and passenger sit side by side. Mr Laun, who holds an “A ” license, but had not flown a D.H. Moth, took advantage of his stay here, and after some dual with the instructor built up some solo time on one of the club’s Moths. On Sunday Flight-lieu-tenant Duffey, in ZKACE, visited Balclutha to carry out training, where he was kept busy. On Thursday the Waco was chartered by a gold dredging syndicate to carry out a photographic survey of Central Otago. Flight-lieutenant Olson was pilot, with Mr E. A. Phillips (photographer) and Mr Moody passengers. The area photographed was from Beaumont to Miller’s Flat, and up to Alexandra, also the Ernscleugh Flat from Omakau to St. Bathans. Aerial photography is becoming increasingly popular, especially among town boards and local bodies, “and is of great assistance to their engineers in the planning of new works and roads. Flialit-lieutenant Allen, chief instructor # the Auckland Aero Club, with Mi: E. H. North croft and Mr R. B. Lusk as passengers, made a very smart trip to Dunedin on Tuesday in Puss Moth ZKACB. Leaving Auckland at 7.10 a.m., they arrived at the Taieri at 2.15 p.m. Twenty-five minutes were spent at Blenheim, the actual flying time being 6h 40min. They left on the return trip at 8 a.m. on Wednesday. Business men are realising what a great time help the aeroplane is, and we look forward to the time when a daily service will be operating between the five main cities of New Zealand. _ On Sunday Flight-lieutenant Park and passenger arrived from Timaru in ZKABK, returning later. Flight-lieu-tenant Mercer, in ZKABA, also visited the ’drome on Sunday, and stayed tho night, returning to Christchurch on Monday. . Flying members are especially asked to get out to the ’drome early during the week-ends, ns the short days limit flying time considerably. Three machines will be available from 1 o’clock on Sunday. The May landing is now open, and the white circle is waiting to receive the competitors’ tail skids, two hours’ free flying to go to the best man. . . . The annual competitions are only five weeks away, and the flight commanders are looking to their pilots to get in some practice ami assist them to win the banner with a high standard of flying. “PREHISTORIC” AIR SERVICES. The definite opinion that the time has com- for more up-to-date passenger air services in New Zealand was expressed to an Auckland interviewer recently by Sir Hubert Wilkins, who has to his credit some of the most daring and remarkable flights ever accomplished. . ... “ It seems prehistoric compared with tho passenger machines in voguo in America,” said Sir Hubert. “ And they cannot expect to encourage business until they bring the fares down to somewhere near the level of the railway fares. The people who could travel by air most are those who have been accustomed to a larger and more comfortable typo of machine. It was not until they introduced the comfortable tvpe of machine in America and elsewhere that they began to get the business.” Sir Hubert said the traffic would never come if they waited for it at the present high rates, but' at more reasonable rates there was every reason to believe it would develop. Many people would be only too glad to be able to do business from Auckland to Wellington, or vice versa, and return in the same day. He said he had nob looked into the cjuestion of the advisability of starting an air mail service in this country. PLANES FOR DENMARK. A fleet of one Do Haviland Dragon twin-engined machine, for use as a light transport aeroplane, and occasionally for aerial survey work, and seven Tiger moths to serve as training aircraft were flown last week to Copenhagen by officers of the Danish Royal Air Force, to whose order they had been built in Britain.

WORLD’S FASTEST AIR LINER. Built by the De Haviland Company for Imperial Airways and the Qantas Empire Airways, the world’s tastest four-engined air line, a biplane with a top speed of more than 170 miles an hour, has just passed its official Air Ministry flying trials. The machine has its 200 h.p. engines arranged two on each side of the body, ; n which is accommodation for ten passengers. The enclosed control cabin, in the extreme nose of the machine, is equipped with a powerful wireless sending and receiving installation. It is capable of flying on any two of its four engines, and with full engine power it can attain a height of nearly four miles climbing to 1,200 ft within a minute of leaving the ground. The plane will be offered in the tenders for the extension of the Empire air mail from Singapore to Port Darwin, and thence to the terminal at Cootamundra,

CRASH OF METAL PLANE. Evidence of the shock-absorbing qualities of a metal airframe and_ the ease with which it may be repaired, was provided in a recent “ crash ’’ landing of a Blackburn B 2 light biplane on the railway line near Brough, Yorkshire. The machine, which is powered with a 120 h.p. “ Gipsey II.” motol-, and has side-by-side seats for two in an open cockpit, is made entirely of metal, except for the usual fabric coverings, even to the formers in the wings. A pupil at the school gi North Sea Aerial and General Transport Ltd. got into a spin low down and went on spmning till the machine hit the rails. Nobody was injured—proof of shock-absorba-bility—and there was relatively little damage to an aeroplane which should have been a complete “ write-off.” The wings were completely buckled, the tail unit was wrecked, and the un-der-carriage was beyond repair, but tho fuselage, except for two dents, was intact and the cockpit needed no repairs whatever. The engine remained in its proper place, and had not even damaged the dash behind it. The first dent in the fuselage, aft of the cockpit on tho right-hand side, was removed by taking out that section of, the framework, straightening it _ and replacing it with an additional strengthening member at the back. The second dent, farther back, was not important enough to need repair. Proof that the fuselage had remained true in shape, without twisting or other distortion, was available in the fact that the new- fail unit fitted exactly in place. Evidently the Blackburn designers hadve produced a fuselage structure which does not telescope under heavy impact shock. It is an important safety factor in aviation.