AVIATION IN AFRICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18018, 17 February 1922, Page 7

AVIATION IN AFRICA.

PIONEERS' DIFFICULTIES.

«< SPOTTING ". FOR WHALERS.

MILITARY FORCE ESTABLISHED. [JEOM OUK OWN COUKESPONDENT.] CAPETOWN. Jan. 5. New Zealand is evidently more fortunate in the matter of civil aviation than South Africa at the present time. Pros- ; pects for civil aviation in South Africa j looked very bright shortly after the war; to-day the situation compares unfavour-' abh* with that in other Overseas Dominions. Being a country of huge (lis- ! tsnces South Africa would benefit con- ; siderably by on efficient flying service. Mails could be delievered all over the country with a rapidity which the railways can never attain. The first firm to commence civil flying l in South Africa was managed by two ex-! officers of the Royal Air Force, the broth- ; en Solomon. They made their first South African flight during November, i 1919. and are still carrying on. With ' two D.H.6 machines thev did some admirable work, not only in carrying pas- . senders, but also in aerial photography , and in spotting for whales. Up to tho ' present thev have carried over &000 pas- '■ senders in different parts of the Cape Pro- ' ■\ir..e. Th.'v made many aerial toura of' liie country, sometimes photographing farms and towns, at other tunes currying rcmroercial travellers on advertising ••stunts." Dunns one year they sold ovr JC9OO worth o! aeriai photographs. There are several whaling stations near ('a rot own. and one of these invited the brv'.h'TS to see whether they could find . whales for them. Taking a whaling, skipper up with them thev flew 50 miles ' out to sea, located a whale, and directed j the fleet below until it was captured. ; Aeroplanes were used very successfully for spotting submarines during the war, so that as whaJe catchers they should be very useful in many parta of the world. Shoals of fish are" also easily detected from the air, and Capetown bawling firms are at present considerinc the advisability of hiring aeroplanes to prospect for them. About the same time that the Solomon brothers commenced operations the Handlev Page Company started in South Africa. Three machines wore sent out 3Dd an elaborate programme was planned. This was doomed to disaster. The first passenger flights were quite successful. A machine with 16 passengers flew to Salianha Bay, 120 miles from Capetown by rail, returning the same day. The flight both wavs lasted just over tvro hours, while the train, which runs on a narrow ;auge railways, takes all day on the single ournev. Then a flight to Johannesburg was banned, and' tickets were issued to >assengers at 100 guineas each. Many .vailed" themselves of the offer, hoping to M 3 pioneers of the new service. The machine set off, and was not heard of .or two days. Then news came that it

had been forced to descend m & lonely spot on the k&xroo owing to shortage of petroL A second start was made, but the machine crashed at Beaufort West ehorth after taking off. The BlDdtaf "was carrying mails on this ill-fated flight, and naturally the Post Office authorities were not very much impressed by the new mode of transport. tortunate'v no one was injured. A few months later the Handlcy Page South African Company went into liquidation, and it was left to a few individuals to carry on civil aviation. \t Job mnesburg two Avro machines were engaged for a few months in carrying passengers for joy-rides, while a sirai'ar enterprise existed at Durban. These firms gave up the ghost at last, hov ever, and now the Solomon brothers are the only rlyinz firm in the country. Th«ir Struggle aeninst adverse circnm-ft-inces in a new enterprise for over two years must surely constitute a record in civil aviation. On the other hand, military flying will soon be firmly establ ; shed. The Union \ir Force is under the command of Sir Pierre van RyneveVi, who fltw with retain Brand from England to Cape-; town It has its headquarters at Pretoria, and 100 machines, the gift of the Imrerial Government, are now be'ng put' toeether there. Hying has been going on there almost every day for some months past, without an accident, there are of course, hundreds of ex-flying officers in the Union, and the 17 vacancies in the new force were speedily filled. Pav is on very liberal terms. Although progress has been very slow in South Africa, living has undoubted,? Co-re to stay. With a well organised military force to show the way, new civil firm* are bound to come into existence. Once the Government realises the vital necessity of the maintenance of flying in aU its' branches, the future will be assured. ___■«_«