TAUPO AERODROME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21874, 9 August 1934, Page 12

TAUPO AERODROME

GREAT VALUE TO AIRMEN NEED FOR RETENTION VITAL LINK IN CHAIN The Hawke's Bay and East Coast Aero Club has forwarded to the Director of Civil Aviation, Wellington, a letter in which the importance of the well-known Tauhara, aerodrome at Taupo is stressed. A copy of tho letter has been forwarded to the New Zealand Aero Club. Tho occasion of the club's representations is the report that a block of unoccupied Crown land near Taupo might bo acquired for afforestation purposes by an Australian company operating there. The Tauhara aerodrome, which is at present not a legally vested flying ground, is situated on this block, and is stated to be the only ground suitable for a full-sized aerodrome within reasonable distance of Taupo. In his letter to the director, Mr. R. D. Brown, secretary of the Hawke's Bay and East Coast Club, states that a good ground at Taupo is one of the most important links in a chain of landing grounds throughout the North Island. It is particularly vital on the route from Auckland to Hawke's Bay, as on account of the nature of the country between Taupo and Hawke's Bay, a suitable ground there is of paramount importance to crosscountry fliers. It frequently happens, says Mr. Brown, that southbound pilots, on account of the high country south of Taupo, are forced to turn back to Taupo to put down pending an improvement in weather conditions. The, Tauhara aerodrome is a most convenient ground from which to observe weather conditions in the high country, and trips south can often be completed later in the same day after observation from this point. If this ground were not available machines would be compelled to return to jßotorua, Cambridge or Hamilton, and this necessity would, in the opinion of the Hawke's Bay Aero Club, be most detrimental to the progress of civil aviation in this country. Having in mind the material importance of this ground to both the Auckland and Hawke's Bay Aero Clubs, as well as to private owners and prospective flying concerns, the Auckland and Hawke s Bay Clubs co-operated in arranging a pageant at Taupo in December last to raise funds for the improvement of the ground. As a result the Taupo Aero Club was able to extend the cleared area considerably and the ground today is in every way an excellent emergency ground. Mr. Brown concludes his statement to the director by saying that of all the back-country aerodromes known to his club there is none of greater importance than the Tauhara aerodrome from an emergency and crosscountry point of view. The ground was first used when Mr. Lan Horton landed there in a Moth aeroplane from Auckland on November 11, 1929. Captain McGregor landed on the ground later on that day. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith used the ground for flights in the Southern Cross after a non-stop flight from Christchurch to Taupo on January 27 last.