AIR FACILITIES.

Evening Star, Issue 25769, 16 April 1946, Page 10

AIR FACILITIES.

TO THE EDITOE. Sir.—As a frequent traveller on the air services since my return from overseas service with the R.A.F. and R.N.Z.A.F., I feel more than justified in supporting the adverse comments of " Aucklander." The ' Star ' is to he commended on the article " Fog Bound," given in a recent issue, regarding the disorganisation of the air services in the last few weeks, which caused so much annoyance, expense, and inconvenience to air travellers. It appears to me that no blame can be attached to either the crew or operators of this service, and a simple expedient would be the construction of nn emergency field on the harbour for'«shore area. Surely there is sufficient common sense in our community to realise the importance of such a provision. I, for one, refuse to believe that the Harbour Board would place any obstacles in the way of such a provision. If it does the public has the remedy by appointing personnel at the next election who will'. support such a measure. It is my considered opinion that there.is ample room for such a provision, and this would provide Otago with a valuable asset. The proposal emanating from official sources to operate flying boats between Auckland and Dunedin dispels previous doubts about any disabilities in operating a landplane service from tbis locality, and it would be a retrograde step if a landplane connection was not made "on the spot " for services radiating to Central Otago and Southland. Tt would ruin the service to Invercargill if passengers had to he transported by road to and from the Taieri airfield. Having had considerable experience in handling four-engined Stirling* and Lancasters with heavy loads of bombs,

armaments, radar and other equipment, and in all sorts of weather, and having to land on a pin-point when the whole icebound airfield and surroundings were entirely obliterated by snow, and with one, two, and on one particular occasion with three motors defective, without a single mishap, I just begin to wonder whether there is too much inclination in this country to carry the safety factor arguments beyond all reason. I am sure our civil pilots aw not. all " cissy " types, and could "do their stuff " as well as we service types if they were only given a chance. Without asking them, I know just what their answer would be to the question as to whether they would favour a landing strip on the foreshore area. Some of them I know are ex-sorvien pilots, and such a provision would not only materially improve the sai'etv factor of flying, but reduce the concern of those pilots.—l am, etc., April 13. D.F.C.