FLYING TOUR

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 141, 16 May 1929, Page 8

FLYING TOUR

3 P-M. EDITION

SIR ALAN COBHAM’S CRUIS-E. APPEAL OF AVIATION TO YOUTH. (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (British Official Wireless.) Received May 16, 1.5 p.m. RUGBY, May 15. In a large De Haviland ten-seater aeroplane, Sir Alan Cobham to-day starts his three months’ tour of Great Britain, the object of which is the arousing of municipal interest in flying in 100 towns. In addition to the flights which will be given to local authorities. Sir Alan Cobham will be able, through the generosity of an anonymous donor, to give 100,000 free flights to school children, and these will range from 50 to 300 per town, according to the basis of the school population. Sir Charles Wakefield yesterday christened Sir Alan Cobham’s air liner “Youth of Britain,” and in doing so said that while the immediate object of the tour was to investigate the possibilities of landing grounds and to demonstrate the advantages of flying to all the larger towns in Great Britain, the direct appeal which would be made to the boys and girls would, in the long run, do even more to assist Imperial aviation. The day would come when flying as a means of travel and as a sport would be an accepted commonplace of life. Youth would herald that day, and this tour would help enormously in focussing the keenness and energy of youth upon flying.