COMFORT PRAISED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22319, 2 May 1947, Page 6

COMFORT PRAISED

VI CKERS_ VIKING OFFICIAL PARTY ALOFT MAYOR TAKES CONTROLS The official party from Gisborne who had been invited by the representatives of the Vickers firm in New Zealand, Cory-Wright and Salmon, to take a flight in the Vickers Viking yesterday, were loud in their praises of the steadiness and comfort of the machine. At the conclusion of the 45-minute flight over the town and district the majority of the passengers were thoroughly converted to the axiom that travelling by air is the only way. Led by the Mayor, Mr. N. H. Bull, the official party consisted of representatives of various local and public bodies in the district. The party consisted of Messrs. N. H. Bull. W, M. Jenkins. H. H. De Costa. I. J. Quigley. E. H. Baker, F. R. Ball. A ,T. Nicol, P. D. Leahy. J. G. Nolan, T. A. N. Corson, R. W. Halbert, G. S. Bridge. A. H. Miller and L. R. Renolds. The original intention was to fly up the East Coast, circling low over the various townships in order to allow Coast residents to see something of the aircraft. After travelling a short distance up the Coast heavy rain and cloud reduced the visibility to such a low range that a little on the southern side of Tolaga Bay it was thought advisable to turn back. The aircraft circled Gisborne several times at a low altitude, allowing residents and school children to view the aircraft in flight, and also flew over some of the country surrounding the bay. Several of the passengers were allowed the opportunity of viewing the crew’s quarters of the aircraft, and found that the general finish of the cabin was also carried out in the forward quarters. Easy to Handle On learning that the Mayor was a pupil under instruction in the Gisborne Aero Club, the chief pilot. Mr. P. G. Robarts. vacated his seat and allowed Mr. Bull to take over the controls for several minutes. Although it was somewhat different from a Tiger Moth, Mr. Bull found the machine easy to handle in the air. The Mayor also remained in the front cockpit when the machine landed for the second time at Darton Field. A large crowd were waiting to view the machine by 10.45 a.m. when she landed back at the airfield, and they were not disappointed, as it was thrown open for public inspection. Small parties were conducted through the aircraft by members of the crew, and were also loud in their praise of the fittings. By 11.15 a.m., when the aircraft was scheduled to depart, practically everyone at the airfield had seen the interior of the machine. Farewells were exchanged between the Mayor and the crew members, and at 11.20 a.m. the aircraft was again airborne. After doing a run at a low altitude across the field, the machine climbed rapidly and headed in the direction of Wellington.