WEAK AIR FORCE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21926, 9 October 1934, Page 6

WEAK AIR FORCE

POLICY OF DOMINION BUYING NEW MACHINES POOR TRAINING FACILITIES (from a correspondent] New Zealand recently has been much impressed by the series of Ministerial and other announcements as to the necessity of the Dominion shouldering her fair share in Empire defence, and as to the mutual advantage which can follow upon close co-operation with Australia. The Dominion has a very long coastline and a very small population, and emphasis has naturally enough been laid upon an adequate air defence as against a financially impossible adequate naval defence. The idea lias been slow to take hold, but it is accepted today, and each succeeding Ministerial istatememt regarding the purchase of modern fighting aeroplanes confirms it and g;ives a fine ease of mind that once those machines arrive all will be well. The comfort of mind, unfortunately, is premature. In fact, it has no real basis, for th? Royal New Zealand Air Force at the present has merely a title full of dignity, a limited living personnel and barely a feather to fly with. The acquisition of the new aeroplanes—twelve are to be delivered shortly and twelve more will follow later —is a start from the ground rather than the strengthening referred to in every statement. Rigid Economy If the New Zealand Government has had any consistent policy in regard to aviation, military and civil, it has been one of rigid economy. The machine equipment available to the 100 officers and men of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the 80 officers of the Territorial Force is twenty machines, but eighteen of them are either definitely obsolete and unfit for service, or are machines intended for service work. The only service machines E.re two Fairev lllF's at Auckland, and the others are: At Auckland, three Moths (one on floats), and a Cutty Sark flying boat and at Christchurch, four Bristol Fighters, born 1917 but still flying Hawker Tomtits, two Closer Grebes, three Moths and one Puss Moth. It is a sad muster. . Military flying is done onlv a.t Auckland and' Christchurch, and, latterly, for the all encompassing reason of e:o----nomv, training for officers of ttie leiritorial Air Force has been confined to Chr'stchurch and limited to one camp a vear. It is obvious that the combination of obsolete machines and the severely limited training periods restrict the work of Territorial pilots to very elejftliritary training. The Hopes ol Pilots. Even the limited facilities are, for reasons of economy, but partly availed of Nio-ht flving is just not done, and providing t&at the need never arises no harm will come of that. The instruction in navigation is not unkindly described as rudimentary, in. such, machines as axe available nothing more is wanted. .For more advanced work one of the 1917 Bristol Fighters, has a machine-gun for ground target work, and a. single shot camera gun m used for rouHing air battles. Further, in accordance with the established policy of economv, Territorial officers flying obsolete machines are not ea nipped with parachutes, and the ground facilities do not include a fire tender to ofter hope of rescue should a machine crash and take fire z.ny distance from the hangar. These are, however, matters to which reference is not made when Ministerial announcements are given or the determination of the Government. to strength the defensive air forces, and the pilots themselves, keen to carry on and always hoping that thei economy policy will some day end, say nothing about it 7