Pilot Lost Way in Northland

Northern Advocate, 11 March 1948, Page 2

Pilot Lost Way in Northland

Returning from the air display at Onerahi aerodrome, Mr A. Gallic, piloting a New Plymouth Aero Club plane, got lost on 1 iis flight to Mangere. Mr Gullie was lost for 2hr 40min and eventually landed in a paddock near Maungaturoto. Two of the New Plymouth club’s Tiger Moths, one flown by the club captain (Mr L. W. Martin) and the other by Mr Gallic, left Onerahi for Mangere at about 9.45 a.m. on Monday. Each plane carried a passenger as well as the pilot, and Mr Gallic took off first, with Mr Martin about 10 minutes behind him. REPORTED OVERDUE Mr Martin's aircraft landed at Mangere at 10.58 o’clock, and when Mr Gallic had not arrived by 11.28 he was classified as overdue by the Auckland Air Traffic Control Centre, which began a routine check on the plane’s movements. Inquiries were made over a wide area without success, and a Hudson aircraft was authorised for flight from Whenuapai, in case it should be needed. A telephone message from Mr Gallic at 12.44 ended the search, the pilot reporting that after much flying over country he did not know, he had got as far as Maungaturoto on his fastdiminishing fuel.

Mr Martin, accompanied by Mr J. R. Marsh, one of the Auckland Aero Club's instructors, flew from Mangere to Maungaturoto, carrying extra fuel for Mr Gallie’s plane, which was undamaged.

They landed successfully in a rather rough paddock, and after Mr Gallie’s aii-craft had been refuelled Mr Marlin flew it solo to Onerahi, picked up more petrol and returned 1o Mangere. RACK BY TRAIN Mr Marsh flew Mr Martin’s aircraft back to Mangere, having decided that the paddock was too rough to permit either aircraft to attempt a take-off with a passenger. Mr Gallie and his passenger therefore returned to Auckland by train. “Mr Martin told me to follow him and take a compass bearing on him, but I did not get a compass bearing nor did I see him again," said Mr Gallic yesterday. "I was lost and I did not know the country at all. "I was lost for 2hr 40min and I had sufficient petrol for three hours’ flying. I had been looking for a place to land for half an hour before I found one.

“Then I saw a paddock near a group of houses and thought it would be a good place to land. I did not know where I was. It was a bit of a comedown returning by train.”