CLUB FLYING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21923, 18 January 1946, Page 2

CLUB FLYING

GISBORNE SCHEME

EARLY START URGED MEETING TO BE HELD The formation of an aero club •in Gisborne to bring this district in line with other parts of New Zealand is being sponsored by the local branch of the Air Force Association. A public meeting of all those interested in civil flying is to be called by the Mayor, Mr. N. H. Bull, and will be held in the Chamber of Commerce rooms next Thursday night. A. deputation from the Air Force Association, consisting of Messrs. N. A. Williamson, L. R. Renolds. C. Prentice and G. G. Muir, waited on the Mayor yesterday afternoon. Although the Government had yet to declare its post-war policy on aeroclub flying, it was stated that in other parts of the Dominion plans were belftg put into effect to resume civil flyjng and aircraft had been allocated, to tjlPfe clubs - Z, ' Vjr Lead by Other Centres .'' lk Auckland would resume flying '.'at Mangere to-morrow with ''one- aircraft and a second would be flown.vriririh from Wellington next week. Auckland proposed to have a total of at leaSt;.'srx aircraft. . ;. In addition, it was stated.thai,Jsoih.V Palmerston North and New Plymouth', had been allocated aircraft, ana. \y£r.C planning an early start. WaipukuthW.' was raising funds by means of, an' aft union. . TThrough the Royal New Zealand’ Aero Club representations had beeft' made for aircraft for other centres..The New Zealand organisation would deal only with affiliated clubs and, therefore, the first step to he taken by Gisborne would be the formation of a club.. " The members of the deputation emphasised that if Gisborne was going to take advantage of these aircraft Which were now being handed over by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, there should be as little delay as possible. J Even with the formation of a club, ' much remained to be done. The crux of the problem would l?e finance, but active steps would be takento raise money as soon as a club’ had been formed. During the war servicemen from Gisborne had shown that, they were as air-minded as any, and this was endorsed by their records. On a percentage basis the number of decorations won by Gisborne air-crews compared favourably with any part of the Dominion. Flying as a Hobby Many of these airmen, it was stated, hoped to be able to continue flying as a hobby, and there were others, including Air Training Corps personnel, who wished to emulate their older brothers and friends and learn to fly : Because of the situation of Gisborne these enthusiasts could not afford the time or the money to visit other centres to fly. If they did not learn in Gisborne, they remained on . the ground. In comparison with their fellows in other parts, they suffered because of their residence in Gisborne,. ' The deputation stated that the limit of the Government’s assistance so far. was to offer Tiger Moth aircraft for £450 each. The Royal New Zealand Aero Club had made representations for the release of other types of air-; craft and for the payment of a subsidy on pilots trained, as in pre-war days. So far no reply had been . received. To overcome the expense of a fulltime instructor and ground staff in the initial stages of the club, the deputation said it had been suggested that an attempt should be made to obtain the part-time services of former members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force living in Gisborne. There were both competent and experienced flying instructors and servicing personnel. •' For civil purposes the structors would be required to sit for their B license and instructor’s certificate, and ground staff would have to take their A, B, C, D and X license examinations, or some of them, -With their service experience, these- exam-), inations should not be difficult, It was proposed to approach a number of these men and urge them to take these examinations. With their assistance many of the financial problems which early beset aero clubs would be -reduced considerably. Mayor Gives Support ,v , The Mayor, in reply, said he would be pleased to see aero clubflying established in Gisborne and AWfiuld give the project his whole-hearted support. He would be .pleased-.to a meeting of <ali citizens interested to discuss it from every angle. Before the war Gisborne ;wasq a branch of the Hawke’ Bay and East Coast Aero Club, but for local pilots the arrangement was not wery satisfactory. Before an aircraft would be sfent D'D from Hawke’s Bay a certain number of hours flying had to be guaranteed. Often, when the aircraft ■ arrived; members found that they wore - uheble to carry out arrangements metde Aft advance and could not lly. The result was that a few members fre.iUtr4l| had to make up the time that had been guaranteed. _ • • •• YJ In other centres with aircraft club members have tin advantage-'.br being able to fly if tiiev wish &t siioiT , notice, and they can choose' thbif weather. They may decide at ‘hort !_ notice to make a cross-country flight | to visit friends in another district) -A- : The Government's civil policy ris- | closely linked, by -necessity, With itS service policy. The latter, if decided, has not yet been announced. To-day there are thousands of young- men in the Royal New Zealand Air Force who. are vitally interested in an announcement whether it is going to remain-'its ■ present size or whether it will be reduced to, say, a half. , Reserve of Pilots The size and shape of New Zealand’s Air Force, it is generally thought- is closely linked with British- Commonwealth policy and probably the United Nations’ policy -as a whole.; -.Until London gives a lead, Wellington- probablv will remain silent. - ?. Before the outbreak of war the’ New Zealand Government subsidised • aero clubs by paying a -grant for every pilot trained, and built up a valuable ref serve. To-day the Royal New Zealand Air Force has hundreds of trainer airr craft in store or idle on airfields. Whether these aircraft, manned byservice instructors, are to be used to train the aircrews of the future, ■or whether thev will be handed over-' to . aero clubs for the same purpose, remains to be seen. .' The Tiger Moth aircraft, which the Government is at present offering, has been the most widely used elementary trainer of the war in British countries. There are hundreds of them in New Zealand to-day. With a cruising speed of about 80 miles an hour and low petrol consumption, they are very suitable for the average aero club. The aircraft which the Government is handing over have been in use on New Zealand Air Force stations. Before they are received by aero clubs they are thoroughly overhauled at the de Havilland Company’s factory at Rongotai. ■