The Aviation World.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21136, 19 March 1932, Page 5 (Supplement)

The Aviation World.

AUCKLAND AERO CLUB NEWS. BY AILERON. * Arrangements are now well in hand for the organising of a parachute display in Auckland on April 9. The Auckland Aero Club proposes this year, instead of holding a pageant, to arrange a smaller display in some suitable place more centrally situated than the Mangere aerodrome, and one of the chief attractions will be exhibitions of parachute jumping by Mr. James Fraser, His pilot will be Squadron-Leader M. C. McGregor, D.F.C., who is well known in flying circles throughout New Zealand. It is hoped to arrange many interesting items to take place during the afternoon. The Auckland club's instructor, FlightLieutenant D. M. Allan, will give an exhibition of stunting, and the public will have an opportunity of seeing two of the leading pilots of the Dominion, in Squad-ron-Leader McGregor and Flight-Lieu-tenant Allan, carrying out advanced aerobatics. Keen interest was shown by members in the first tennis competition for the Robertson Cup, held at the aerodrome, courts last Saturday. Good tennis was seen in a number of closely contested, matches, and the finals, which will be decided on April 2, should result in even closer games. The four semi-finalists are Messrs. F. C. White, D. Robertson, J. Eddleston and R. A. Kirkup. On the same day as the tennis finals, it is expected that machines from Hawera will visit Mangere and during the afternoon competitions will be held, in which the visitors will take part. A pilots' and pupils' dance will probably be held in the clubhouse in tho evening. ACTIVITIES OF PILOTS. Candidates who sat for their B licence examination last week included a number from the Auckland Aero Club and one from Hawke's Bay. The local entrants, who are among the most experienced of the Auckland Aero Club's pilots, were: Messrs. R. A. Kirkup, E. R Firth, G. M. Firth, P. C. Lewis, T. Philcox, and E. B. Waters while Mr. G. Fields, of Hawke's Bay, came to Auckland for the examination. The results are not yet available. / Pilots are reminded that licences expire on March 31, and that under instructions frdm the Defence Department, no machines will be available to pilots until they have renewed their licences. Forms are obtainable either from the instructor or the secretary. Notification has also been received that ground engineers' licences lapse on the safne date. It has been decided by the flying committee that in future pilots must carry their log book with them on cross-country flights, and get their times certified by an official at the various places where landings are made. During the week the ground engineer, Mr. R. J. Copley, made his first appearance at the aerodrome since his accident, but has not yet taken over from Mr. F. A. North. The blue Moth has returned from the South Island, while the engine overhaul of the yellow has been completed. Another pupil, Mr. W. J. Sexton, went solo during the week. The following new members have been elected: Pupil, Mr. C. R. Hill; associate, Miss B. Walker and Messrs. J. F. Ray and J. Williamson. FLYINff IN APRICA. Thirteen of the aerodromes along the new Cairo-Cape Town airway are located more than 3,500 ft. above sea-level, and of these no fewer than seven rise well above 5000 ft. The fact is startling, and reveals one of the chief reasons why airway engineers consider the African route perhaps tho most difficult in the world to prepare and operate. No other airway traverses country of similar diversity. In the north are swamps and deserts, followed successively on the way to the Cape by rapids on the Nile, the high altitudes and high temperatures of the equatorial regions, and much forest and bush country, vast districts of which are remote and penetrable only with great difficulty by ground parties. Further, the route is visited by violent storms which the air liners must avoid. The storms break with tropical intensity and suddenness, rendering essential an efficient meteorological service linked with a line of radio broadcasting stations. Frequently, heavy rains threaten to flood the landing grounds. Excessive height at aerodromes is a disadvantage, because the atmosphere gets less dense with increased distance from sea-level. This means in practice that aeroplanes' may need a 'longer run to takeoff than they require from less exalted grounds. They may not be able to ascend with full load, on board, and machines may come in to land at a slightly higher speed than at sea-level. Heat further lessens atmospheric density, and when the two factors operate together, as in equatorial and southern Africa, the total effect is important and exerts a marked influence on working the air line. The Imperial Airways engineers must surmount this, and many other problems, most of them arising from the character of the terrain and its location almost in a straight line from north to south, which makes inevitable the amazing variety of land and weather met along the route. Though there is no reason to doubt the efficiency of (lie aircraft entrusted with the first months of operation of the new service, the company's task will undoubtr edly be eased by the introduction later in the year of the fleet of eight fast Armstrong Whil.worth monoplanes which are now being built at Coventry. Designed especially to cope with the conditions prevailing in' Africa, these new craft are expected to combine speed of 145 miles an hour, with ability, to operate vtfith full efficiency at heights up to 7000 ft. Faster than any aircraft of comparable size yet placed in commission on an air line, tliev will ultimately operate every stage of the journey from Cairo to Cape Town and provide accelerated service all along the v route. AUSTRALIA TO ENGLAND. A leisurely flight to England occupying 18 or 19 days, with daily stages of approximately 600 miles, has been planned by the young Sydney - pilot, Mr. J. N. Weir, who intends leaving Sydney for Darwin early in April. He will fly the same machine in which he made several interstate flights last year, an X-typo Moth with Gipsy undercarriage a'nd Gipsy I. engine. The machine was originally owned by Major De Havilland and was widely known- as "Prudence II." Later, as tho " Golden Quest," it featured in the spectacular flight of Pittendrigh and Hanire into the interior, when they were lost for six weeks and rescued on the point of exhaustion in the Macdonnell Ranges. The machine has now been reconditioned, painted black- and silver and christened " Edith" after Mr. Weir's mother. Fitted with an extra petrol tank in the front cockpit, it will have a total fuel capacity of 60 gallons, giving it a range of 1000 miles in normal flying conditions. To simplify the pumping of fuel from the reserve to the gravity tank, a special pump will be carried, capable of delivering fuel at the rate of one and /a-half gallons per minute. Mr. Weir, who is 24 years of age. is of Scotch birth, and arrived in Australia early in 1920. He' qualified as a pilot at the Adastra Airways, . Sydney, about two years ago. being the first pupil of this flying scliool to take his ticket. Mr. We:r has already.3so flying hours to his credit, a large portion of which was done as second pilot on the Australian National Airways between Sydney , and Brisbane. The Shell Company has arranged fuel supplies for the flight over the usual route from Darwin to Aleppo, after which Mr. Weir will fly across Central Europe via Constantinople and Vienna.