Aero Club To Seek Extension Of Aerodrome Licence

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 July 1947, Page 6

Aero Club To Seek Extension Of Aerodrome Licence

Reference to the recent announcement that the Greymouth aerodrome would not be used for the nationalised airways service to the West Coast was made at the annual meeting of the Greymouth Aero Club, last evening. It was pointed out that for the past 11 years Rapide planes had been using the aerodrome and for the first five years of that time the east-west runway was only a little over half its present length.

On the motion of Group Captain D. Scott and Mr E. M. Good it was decided that the Director of Civil Aviation be requested to consider granting an extension of the licence to allow D.H. Rapides to use the Greymouth aerodrome until such time as it was enlarged.

Mr Good presided over a good attendance of members at the meeting. The election of officers resulted as follows: —Patrons: Messrs F. A. Kitchingham, T. P. Ryan, B. I. Cummings. Vice-presidents: Messrs J. O’Brien, Minister of Transport, P. C. Heaphy and J. W. Hannan. Hon. vice-presi-dent: Mr E. M. Good. Hon. Auditor: Mr H. J. Wicks, president: Mr W. D. Heaphy. Secretary: Mr J. J. Leech. Treasurer: Mr K. Patterson. Executive: Messrs B. I. Cummings, E. M. Good, G. Meagher, V. Bergamini. Life member: Group Captain D. Scott. The annual report stated that at the end of March the club had 73 financial members. The West Coast United Aero Club had three Tiger Moths but at the moment only one machine was serviceable. The club rooms and hangar were in good repair and -free from debt, it having been a great achievement to clear the overdraft. Mr B. Dalcom had been employed as the United Club’s instructor and Mr E. Rosel was in charge of aircraft maintenance. The instructor was to be congratulated on the number of members who had flown solo and it would not be long before the club had another dozen pilots. The report added that the club was in a strong financial position but the time had arrived to extend the club rooms and hanger and the retiring president (Mr Good) urged that the incoming executive should give those improvements their greatest consideration. Thanks were expressed to Messrs N. Suttie, P. C. Lewis, F. Malloy and W. Dini, of Air Travel Ltd., to the local bodies, the Air Department, the Public Works Department engineer and Mr N. Paul caretaker of the airport. Mr Good did hot seek re-elec-tion as president and expressed his thanks to all the committeemen who had worked with him during the hard period of getting the club going again.