LULL IN AVIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15554, 11 March 1914, Page 10

LULL IN AVIATION.

ENTERPRISE CHECKED.

ONLY MR. SCOTLAND FLYING. Beyond a certain amount of constructional •vork, amateur activities in aviation in Mew Zealand are temporarily suspended. While the Defence Department's monoplane remains in the Exhibition, the only nachine at present in the Dominion which s capable of flying is Mr. J. W. H. Scotand's Caudron biplane. None of the amateurs in the Auckland ' district are at present in a position to ittempt actual flights. The biplane built , dv Messrs. F. E. Sandford and W. Miller , ias been dismantled and the engine sold. ] Although the accident by which the ! ■ nachine was wrecked definitely terminated j ] ,heir work for a time, they had not been ! . liscouraged against further experiments. I ' Mr. Miller said yesterday that so far I be and his partner have worked without i' assistance, though they wore grateful for I the offers of help which were made after the accident. Mr. Sandford intends to ; visit Australia shortly, but as soon as possible they intend to build another machine and resume their experiments. Some months ago Mr. Seaforth Macken- ' lie, of Marton, imported a Hamilton ' tractor biplane from America. This machine is equipped with aSO h.p Maxim engine, and is capable of conversion into i hydro aeroplane. It was damaged in a trial flight, and is now dismantled and stored in Marton. Other aeroplanes in New Zealand are Schaef's and Fisher's monoplanes, with which experiments are still being made. An interesting point in connection with the Avondale biplane is that it is the only aeroplane which has yet been built in Australasia and successfully flown.