LEARNING TO FLY FOR £15.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 February 1925, Page 2

LEARNING TO FLY FOR £ls.

LIGHT AEROPLANE CLUB

A definite step has now been taken by the Royal Aero Club, the official body of sporting flying in Great Britain' towards forming a light aeroplane flying club for the London area, in which it will be possible to learn to fly for an expenditure of £ls (writes the aeronautical correspondent of The Times). • . If this proves possible it will bung appreciably nearer the day when the youth of ‘the nation will acquire the air sense, and in view of the vital importance of aviation to national defence generous support should be forthcoming ' from all classes of the community. The Air Ministry, it will be recalled, have offered a capital sum of £2OOO for initial equipment of machines and an annual grant for the next two years of £-500, provided the club will guarantee, either by cash or by subscriptions, another £2000; in addition, they will pay into the club £lO for every member who qualifies as a pilot. . The scheme of the Hoyal Aero Club provides for the establishment of a light aeroplane section with an aerodrome at Hendon or Brooklands, and this section will be devoted entirely to flying, with the objects of giving instruction in' aviation, providing and maintaining a number of single and two-seater dual control machines for the use of the members; and, further, helping all those interested in aviation from a non-piloting point of view to obtain full knowledge of the construction, maintenance, repairs, and running of .aeroplanes. Certificated pilot instructors, ground engineers, and mechanics will form a permanent salaried staff. They will always be available during the week, and as soon as a member has qualified for the Royal Aero Club certificate he will be qualified for the Air Ministry “A” license, entitling him to fly privately over the country. Once qualified, the member will be allowed to use the single-seater machines for cross-country work, and he will also have the right to take a two-seater machine and passenger as available.

It will be seen that membership falls into two groups—*those who wish to fly and those who want to acquire ground knowledge—and in order to eater for both classes two rates, of subscription are proposed. Hull membership in the first class will cost .three guineas a year, and for the section section the charge will be a guinea a year, which will, of course, entitle the members to flights in the club machines as passengers. There remains still the rates whiqli must be charged per hour to cover the cost of the machines, and, while this figure has not yet been worked out to its lowest point, Commander ,H. Perrin, the secretary of the club, on behalf of the committee, states that ..the charge for two-seater dualcontrol machines will not exceed 30s an hour, or £1 an hour for a single-seater. The two-seater charge, it is important to note, will include the cost of instruction; and in each case the rate covers the cost of oil and petrol, any damage to machine, and third-party insurance.

It is not unreasonable to assume thjrt if a man has any aptitude at all for flying he will be able to learn and pass all his tests in eight, hours, which means that he will have an expenditure of £l2 on actual flying, and this, plus his subscription of three guineas, means that he can become a pilot for the small sum of £ls—a figure which it has not been possible hitherto to approach anywhere near on full-sized machines.