AVIATION COUPS WANTED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15520, 30 January 1914, Page 8

AVIATION COUPS WANTED.

AIRSHIP WITHOUT AIRMEN.

IMPORTANT BRANCH OF SERVICE.

[BT TELEGRAPH.OWN

Chbistchtjbch, Thursday. Chhistchubch men who have visited the Auckland Exhibition, and who have seen the flights made by Mr. J. J. Hammond in the Dominion's airship Britannia, have returned with very strongly-defined views regarding the necessity for the defence authorities taking up energetically the formation of an aviation corps or several such corps in the Dominion. Reference was made to the officers sent to England by the New Zealand defence authorities to obtain training and experience in aviation. One gentleman remarked, apropos of this matter, that if it were the intention of the Government to establish an aviation corps in the Dominion, there existed but little necessity to send men Home to be trained. In Mr. Hammond, for whom, .he explained, he held no brief, the Dominion had a man who is a master of # his profession and a New Zealander by birth. With tue Britannia, and a man like Mr. Hammond, who is a lieutenant of the Royal Flying Corps, 1 a start could be made almost at once with the formation of an aviation corps. In any case, whether Mr. Hammond was chosen'or not, a base would require to be established in connection with the Britannia and the New Zealand officers who have received training in aviation in England. He learned, whiist in Auckland, that it is Mr. Hammond's intention to leave for England shortly, and that at present there was little liKelihood of his contemplated flight in the Britannia from Wellington to'Cnristchurch taking place. Asked what the possibilities were regarding recruits for an aviation corps, he said that at present there are any amount of young fellows " falling over each other" lor an opportunity to join an aviation .corps and to receive the necessary training, 'I here was no doubt that aviation from a defenoe point of view was rapidly ■ becoming an important question, and tne necessity for training aviators . and providing airships was very generally recognised by military authorities. In his opinion, there existed at present just as much necessity to train aviators as there exists to train artillerymen and other branches of the service. He had heard that there was a likelihood of the Dominion being presented with another aeroplane.