NELSON AERO CLUB

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 18 September 1933, Page 7

NELSON AERO CLUB

TRAINING OF PUPILS Yesterday morning Mr A. EL J. Brake piloted the Blenheim Aero Club’s moth ZK—ADA, to Nelson, with Mr lan Neale as passenger. Owing to headwinds the time of the trip to the Nelson Aero Club’s ground at .Stoke was 59 minutes. The ’plane at 2.30 p.m. returned to Blenheim in 30 minutes. At 5.45 p.m., however, tho same machine returned to Nelson this time piloted by Mr I. Neale who was doing a cross country instructional flight with Squadron Leader N. E. Chandler, instructor for tlie .Marlborough Aero Club. The Nelson Club intends to keep the machine and instructor here for a week, during which tuition will he given pupils each morning and evening. Training work was commenced this morning when Messrs Reg. Page and S. R. Duncan were the -".nils. MARLBOROUGH CLUB’S INSTRUCTOR Squadron Leader N. E. Chandler was born at Epsom in Surrey, about forty years ago and, after serving his apprenticeship as a general engineer, came out to New Zealand where he carried on in that business until the outbreak of the war, when he soon offered himself for flying service. Flying training had not then started in New Zealand so he proceded to England and took up a commission in the Royal Flying Corps Special Reserve. After preliminary training at Oxford he made his first solo with a training squadron at Brooklamls in July 1916, and after further training at Croydon, was gazetted as Second Lieutenant in September 1916. He was flying in France on the BapaumePeronne sector from November of that year until the following January, being attached to No. 21 Squodron, and in that period was promoted to Lieutenant. In February 1917 lie was selected for Home Defence night flying, at first with detached flight and later with the 112tli, 44th and 50th Squadrons, and remained on this duty until August 1918, being promoted to Flight-Commander, with the rank of Captain. In August 1918 he returned to the front in Belgium with the 65tli Squadron and was wounded over Menin shortly before the Armistice was concluded, but returned to Eastchurch with the 58th Wing and commanded a grouptraining flight from February until August 1919. On his return to New Zealand in January 1920, Suadron-Leader Chandler attended the first series of refresher courses held at Wigram, and he also took part in all the further courses until 1931. He was gazetted Squadron-Leader (Territorial) on Bth August; 1930. Squadron-Leader Chandler has been with the Marlborough Aero Club (which was first to commence operations in 1928) since its inception. His flyijifj time is well over 2,000 hours, and he is well known on every aerodrome in the Dominion. The Nelson Club is fortunate in having as a neighbour the Marlborough Club from which body it can : hire the instructor and machine.