FLYING TOO LOW

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 2 August 1941, Page 4

FLYING TOO LOW

COMPANY MANAGER FINED "DROPPED IN” TO TENNIS PARTY Wellington, This Day. For flying an aeroplane too low over Karori one Saturday afternoon in March, Alfred Rose, company manager, w;: fined £4 and co t 19 by Mr Luxford, S.M., in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington yesterday. Rose was charged with flying an aircraft over the city at an altitude that . did not enable it to be landed outside the city should its means of propulsion fail, and with flying an aircraft over the city in such circumstances that by reason of too low altitude and proximity to persons and dwellings he caused unnecessary danger to persons and pro- 1 perty. Entering a plea of not guilty, Mr A. J. Mazengarb, his counsel said, that a technical breach of the regulations would be admitted. Wing Commander E. G. Olsen said that he saw the aeroplane from his home at Friend street, Karori. His attention was attracted to it by its making dives with the engine running in the vicinity of Marsden School. It went behind some trees dangerously low and he formed the opinion that it would crash. However, it climbed to about 200 feet and after two or three very steep turns it headed toward Ron : gotai. At the lowest point of its dive, it was 50 feet above the ground. Rongotai aerodrome was three miles away. To Mr Mazengarb witness said he very much doubted whether the aeroplane could have glided out of the city from there, even if it was 300 feet above the ground. He did not know defendant, but he knew' defendant had an endorsed A license and had been flying for some years. Vivian Guy Williams, bank officer. Friend street, said that from Moana Road, Kelburn, he saw the aeroplane fly over the Messines Road ridge, just clearing the ridge. He did not see any dives. The markings of the machine could be read. Redmond Francis Mackisack, clerk in the National Service Department, said that from his home at Friend street he saw the machine dive over Marsden School and he thought it was going to crash. Constable S. J. Frost also said he saw the plane doing stunts and turns over Marsden School and at one time it was 100 feet or less from the ground. POSSIBILITY OF LANDING Defendant said he had held a license for five years and had done about 250 hours flying. On 29th March his wife had a tennis party at their house in Messines Road, Karori, and while he was flying he “called in to say ’good day’.” His altimeter showed between 850 feet and 900 feet, and Karori was about 500 feet above sea level, so he would be 300 feet above the ground. He probably could not have reached Rongotai if his engine had failed, but he had flown over that sector often and had had experience of forced landings in other parts of New Zealand, and he thought he could have made a landing, even at Karori Park or on the Chaytor street tip. To the magistrate, defendant admitted that there would be sport at Karori Park that afternoon. He said he could not remember making a power dive. The magistrate: Not to give the people on the court a thrill? ; Defendant: “No.” He did not know why he had been singled out for prose- ; cution, when during a number of years jhe had seen low and dangerous flying by others at Karori. A member of the tennis party. Louis (Paul, said the plane was about 400 feet up. Except from the risk of engine failure there was no danger. Frank Myers, chemist, who was also among the tennis players, said the plane was higher than the length of a football field, 330 feet. The magistrate convicted Rose on the second charge and the first was withdrawn. —P.A.