CENTENARY RACE FLIERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21999, 4 January 1935, Page 13

CENTENARY RACE FLIERS

Sir, —I have read with deep satisfaction the letter in Wednesday's Herald asking why Squadron-Leader Hewett is not piloting the Tainui Your correspondent, W. E. Hughes, has brought to light an act which is a large and ugly blot on the sporting spirit with which this Dominion is supposed to abound. Hewett, at considerable expense and personal risk, has put New Zealand on the map of the aviation world by his splendid effort in the Centenary Air Race, and, having landed the plane in New Zealand he is promptly ditched by the Auckland Air Race Committee. Further to blacken their name the club then used the rainui as a money-making concern by snatching the joy-riding and taxi-work from such as Hewett, whoso enterprise in pioneering commercial aviation in New Zealand with the Falcon Airways has done so much to convince the public of the safety and dependability of flying. Surely the function of the Aero Club is the training of its members as pilots and tho supply of aeroplanes for hire to its certified members and it should be able to support itself with tho flying fees so obtained, leaving taxiwork to private enterprise. It seems that the club is primarily a moneymaking concern. I feel confident that, as a result of the correspondence opened by W. E. Hughes, the Air Race Committe will be forced, by the opinion of those thousands who supported the Air Art Union, to rectify the grave injustice imposed upon Messrs. Hewett and Kay, who stand out as men of courage and resource and who are men of whom the people are justly proud, Jas. Stimpson.

[A statement regarding the De Havilland Rapide aeroplane Tainui, which was flown in the Centenary Air Race by Squadron-Leader J. D. Hewett, Fly-ing-Officer C. E. Kay and Mr. F. Stewart, of Auckland, was made yesterday by Mr. F. B. Cadman, a member of the New Zealand Centenary Air Race Committee, and a committee-mem-ber of the Auckland Aero Club. Mr. Cadman is the only office-bearer of both concerns at present in Auckland. Mr. Cadman said the machine was the property of tho New Zealand Centenary Air Race Committee, which was paying Flight-Lieutenant D. M. Allan, chief instructor to the aero club, a special fee based on flying to pilot the machine when required. The aero club was not contributing to this special payment, although it was paying the instructor's salary as usual. The air race committee was not paying the club anything for use of its aerodrome at Mangere, from which the machine was being operated. "We have to sell the machine to get our money back," Mr. Cadman said. The club, however, had no financial interest in the Tainui, and was making nothing from the operation of the craft from Mangere aerodrome. The club assisted the scheme for a New Zealand entry in the race when it was first advanced, however, and was now doing its best to help the guarantors who had given the necessary financial support to enable the entry to be made.]