Aviation

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 239, 27 September 1930, Page 13

Aviation

News and Notes

(By “Wing Sips.”)

A Nation’s Civil Aviation is a Measure of its Commercial Efficiency. The Empire is Handicapped by Air Ignorance—Help Us Conquer Itl

RlOl Lengthened.

KWI has been separated into two parts in her shed at Cardington. The pin joints which join the frames were loosened to the rear of the living quarters, and the two halves were floated apart to the extreme ends of the shed. The new transverse frame will be assembled in the shed and raised into position, complete with gasbag, etc., between the two ends. This will increase the gas capacity of the airship by 500,000 cubic feet, and will add some ten tons to her gross lift.

Schneider Trophy Contest, The Royal Aero Club, in reply to inquiries, announces that it has returned only entries that have not conformed to the unalterable conditions governing the Schneider Trophy Contest, 1931, isued by the F.A.I. in January, 1930.

Australian Mystery ’Plane. At Blacktown, New South Wales, in a paddock closely guarded by men who live in a tent nearby, is a mystery aeroplane which the builders claim will revolutionise flying. The 'plane is built to carry four, and a wheel is used instead of a joystick. The cabin is enclosed, and the wing parts, which remain rigid in the normal aeroplane, move in this new craft. An eye-witness of a trial flight declares it will tarn in its own length when travelling at 50 m.p.h. A number of professional men are reported to be interested in the venture, and the first official flight is awaited with interest.

Last week-end again proved that interest in flying is not lagging, but getting far more active, in fact that the days at present are not long enough to get the bookings through. The following persons were enrolled and given flights: Misses Spittle, Mace, Munro, Pointon and Messrs. Herdson (Wairoa), Lowe, Lockyer, and Cudby. The flying time was: Dual 4| hours, solo 84 hours, passengers 1 hour; totaL 141 hours for the day’s operations.

The following flying members were considered sufficiently advanced to be sent off on their first solo, congratulations being extended to them: Messrs. A. Powdrell, D. Kirkcaldie, and R. D. Brown.

Instruction for pilots’ licenses is being considerably speeded ur> and for this action the club are to be commended. Anyone desiring to take up a course of flying with the club is assured be will be taught expeditiously and well, and at the same time will find the cost of learning to become an aviator in the civil sense small compared with what it cost some of the pioneers of the club to obtain their tickets. Those about to take up flying from now on 'Jill find it ever so much easier, for the foundation has been well and truly laid by the local club’s foundation members.

Wairoa has awakened to the fact that it must have its aero club, and affiliate with the parent body of this district. Their membership at preset stands at 20 active members. Two of these journeyed to Hastings lost week-end and received their first dual instruction. Wairoa ut present is handicapped in the matter of a landing ground, but efforts are being put forward in this matter and it is hoped in the near future to see an aerodrome for Wairoa an accomplished fact.

I am given to understand that an Aero Club has been formed in Napier for some time now, but have not got any further than the enrolment of members. It is understood that their difficulty is the want of a suitable landing ground. A permanent landing ground for Napier is recognised as out of the question, but could not the Napior club put their energies into obtaining a suitable area and have it put in order as a temporary landing field? If they would only do that, I am sure that the Hastings club would in every way assist them with flying facilities by sending over the ’planes to operate on their ground once or twice a week, thus cutting out the long distance some Napier members of the Hastings club have at present, to travel to obtain flying instruction I have it on good authority that the Hastings club intends to hold a meeting in Napier shortly, and to invite the Napier club members to cooperate in this meeting, with a view to going into the ways and means of providing Napier with a temporary landing ground. I am sure that the Napier 30,000 Club would co-operate if the invitation was- extended io that body as well. • » » Mr. George Nicholls of Gisborne, arrived back in Hastings by car from the South Island last Sunday morning and spent the rest of the day at the aerodrome. Ho managed to get in some solo flying before proceeding to Gisborne.

The club will soon have two of its members with endorsed "A” licenses. Mr. Brian Boys has but to complete two or three hours before reaching the forty-four mark which will entitle him to obtain his endorsed “A.” Mr. Boys will in all probability be the club’s representative and defender in the next race for the Auckland “Herald” trophy, which ?Jr. D. Newbigin won last rear at Auckland. A previous winner pf this trophy is not eligible to compete again. Mr. Boys made a flight to Dannevirke and back early last Sunday morning. Ho was back at tho dromo by 8.30 a.m., taking fifty minutes outward and fifty minutes homeward a total of one hour 40 minutes there and back.

In a conversation with one of the new soloists the other day. I gleaned the fact that flying gets right into your veins once you take it up. He said that his training was more or less spasmodic at the start, but at the moment of interview he said he had reached the interesting stage. On further questioning, I found out that the interesting stage was within a very short time of his going solo. 1 understand that this is typical of most of those who have taken up flying in its civil form. People who are not air-minded cannot fathom the “kick” aviation gives to those who take it up seriously. 1 believe I am just beginning to get some “kick” out of it myself, even if it is only through being the scribe of these notes. Who knows, I may be a budding nviator myself some day. Let’s hope!'

“THE HEAVENLY TWINS.” (Contributed.) Two active members, by name Rumpus and Scotty, with personalities different as chalk and cheese, but dubbed the Club twins on account of their brotherly dispositions, seemed to ba dogged by certain happenings during their dual training. They could not be made to understand where the ground lay, and other things bobbed up in their path of descent when about to make what appeared to. them terra firms. A climax came to Scotty one day last week, though he was spared the indignity of losing his seat at the “poplar jump.” At the road-line fence stood a brace of young budding poplars, which took a delight in bobbing up just as Scotty was approaching, ami knocking his undercarriage on going over the fence. Scotty kept his seat with credit, but the applause from the hangar seemed to make him forget temporarily the fell designs of those young wooden heads stretching their necks just at a critical moment. Scotty remembered after a while, and was heard “saying things. ’ However, Rumpus was sympathetic, and he and Scotty retired to the background, quite unmissed for a time. “Where are the twins?” came a voice. Attention was then drawn to a waving object on the fence line in the distance, with two black figures clinging to it. Another member volunteered the information of overhearing a dire plot, and investigation proved the two objects in the distance to be the twins. Asked in all seriousness on their return what was the meaning of the commotion over there, they said they had just been over there and executed the menace to their flying progress, and clearing the 'drome for all time of such “standing jokes.” Wonderful to relate, later in the day, with the menaces removed and the weight of them off their minds, the twins, "Rumpus and Scotty,” were 1 able to be sent off on their first solo flight. ROUND THE HANGARS. Recently a pilot was informed by his Air Superintendent, Manager, or what not, that a gentleman wanted a special machine to call for him at his private estate, and would the pilot please land at his field. “Right,” said the pilot, “but where is his field?’’ “Isfield,” replied the manager bloke. “Yes, 1 know, but where is ’is field?’’ “Isfield, I tell you, look it up on the map.” “Look here,” replied the pilot bitterly, “How can I look up us blinking, sanguinary field on the map?” “Ah-a!” quoth the manager. “A little mistake I perceive. The name of the town is Hisfield, spelt ISFIELD.” • • » Abdul O’Grady: Remember overhearing two Diggers conversing over two useful looking foaming tankards in the shade of a canteen at El Arish. One was a brand new reinforcement, the other a hnrd-bdtten old soldier.

“Yes, Dig,” the old soldier said, “we do 'ave some decent air scraps now jjnd again. Blimey, only the other day when I’m out on patrol, over comes a Jacko in a brand new black-tailed Taube; ’e comes pokin’ down to about 2000 feet, cheeky as yer like. “So our old Major over at the ’drome takes the air, and inside of three minutes they’re beltin’ blue blazes into each other. “But that there Jacko was some shootin’ merchant. He manouevres for a side-on position all the time and keeps rippin' the bullets into the fuselage just behind the engine. “All of a sudden the Major’s engine falls right off his ’plane and crashes down to the earth. That Jacko had kept on shootin’ in the one spot up and down every time he got a broadside on, until ho had cut right through the fuselage like a crosscut saw.” “Good Lord,” said the reinforcement, “I suppose the Major crashed, too.”’ “No blanky fear,” said the ancient Digger. ‘‘Be just flew the old Bristol ns a glider an 1 landed like a bit of thisteldown on a summer's afternoon.” And the new chum filled ’em up again. AERODROME LIGHTS. CONTROLLED FROM ’PLANE. With the increasing necessity for night flying and the world-wide reputation of aviators for casual arrival at airports, wo are plased to record the invention of William Earle Stilwell, of Cincinntti, for controlling airport lights from a machine in flight. Tho device is simply a short-wave radio transmitter with a special frequency for each rated airport. In practice, nil that is necessary for a complete illumination of any field the pilot mar visit after nightfall is a book with the list of frequencies given. liy manipulating a dial the desired wave is selected, and upon approaching tho field a button on the device is pressed, sending out the frequency which operates the airport light switches.—Shell Company of New Zealand.