AVIATION IN DOMINION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18212, 4 October 1922, Page 6

AVIATION IN DOMINION.

» PAST YEAR'S OPERATIONS, :,R • MAIL SERVICES UNPROFITABLE. --It A brief review of aviation for the past Vff| " year is given in the report of the Defisn<;» |g i Department. " A suitable site for a key Ik i aerodrome bas been selected at Tamafci, hg| 1 Auckland," says the report, " This Mf^flHj • will accommodate, both seaplanes and|;.ffl|j aeroplanes. Several landing-grounds in '-wffi various parts of the Dominion have been mm selected and marked cut. ■ Sml . " Licenses and certificates in accordance Ms with the provisions of the aviation regula- .;r||p tions have been issued as under:—Com*; Waft J mercial pilots, 1.1; ground engineers. 19 i j Ws • registration of aircraft, ldj lerodnoin*>; S| " licenses. 2. '$181 " Experiments have been made with Sj • aerial mail services, but they were not |f|j ; financially successful, for the reasons that.: .-usm , —(a) "The machines in use were unsuited . fo«- long-distance work; (bj the routes- K • were previously supplied with normal ::';|||| modes-of transport; (c) the aerial postal service-was not patronised hj the public >^|li " The Canterbury Aviation ,g@ Socfcbiirn, and the New Zealand Flving $M £chcol, Auckland, have each been sub- ,:gl sidised to the extent of £150 per month ;; -|||| from April 1, 1921, to March 31, 1922, ■» i except when carrying out aerial mail ser- .|S vices under Government contract. This-:|j||| • subsidy, which ceased on the latter date, was paid without regard' to the work done v||l| ' by the companies for the Government or.~:ms- - efficiency of their machines for de/eoce in, case of emergency,,.. On April ; WE&& % > 1932, a new subsidy was instituted ; Sffi providing for payments on a graduated p|«| scale-according to • the relative efficiency iflgf of aerodromes, machines, material, and '-|.ctK personnel maintained, and work done by -'j|S each company. This subsidy .is paid Wm each of the three aviation companies * the Dominion. iw^Hf " Several minor accidents or mishapl /Sag have occurred, and one, it is regretted, jfiß was attended with tatal resulte, the pilot. J?^g : Mr. H. C. Grout, of / the Canterbury ation Company, dying of injuries received.'''ftffif Two pilots received minor injuries, but m |»{ no injuries to passengers have recorded. With the exception of the»!|||K three cases, in two of which the machin«* were 'written off,' the extent of dima|^>'^; ; lV was chiefiy confined to the of machines makintr forced lahdmgs unfavourable conditions." •"'•''iliHt