Low Flying is Serious Offence

Manawatu Times, Volume 68, Issue 215, 10 September 1943, Page 5

Low Flying is Serious Offence

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 8. The Minister of Defence, Hon. F. Jones, to-night said his attention had been drawn to press comment concerning the action taken by the Air Department in requesting severe penalties for low-flying offences. Mr. Jones released the Order which the Air Department issued on the matter, saying it was almost identical with an Order issued by the British Government, it was designed to save lives and he was certain this intention would have the support of every member of the public. The Order states that the Air Board has reason to believe that a sufficiently serious view of low-flying offences, particularly those consisting of unauthorised aerobatics, is no’t always taken by officers and airmen of the R.N.Z.A.F. The unnecessary loss of personnel ana valuable equipment resulting from these offences is a serious impedient to the war effort. Pilots must, therefore, take every possible precaution to obviate losses from avoidable accidents. The Order continues: “There can be but few cases where, in the absence of mitigating circumstances, a sentence of dismissal of an officer or sentence of detention in the case of an airman pilot, would not be justified where the offender is tried by courtmartial and found guilty of a serious and deliberate breach of the low-flying regulation;. All officers sitting on a court-martial dealing with such offences, should have no hesitation in imposing a sentence calculated to be a sufficient deterrent to others. Beforo disposing of a prima facie case against a pilot otherwise than by court-martial, Air Officers commanding are to consult the Air Department as to their proposed action, but this does not in any way affect their power to dispose, as they think fit, of cases which, in their opinion, do not fal within tlio category of low flying

offences. The Air Board wishes it to be known that in cases of a serious deliberate, breach of the lor.-fly I*3 regulations by officers or airmen, it may. whether or net the offender is tried ty court-martial, permanently transfer offenders from flyring duties to* grout 1 duties.”