AVIATION IN DOMINION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21540, 12 January 1932, Page 14

AVIATION IN DOMINION

ON A SOUND BASIS WING-COMMANDER GRANTDALTON’S OPINION. “ Although the present economic crisis is bound to affect aviation developments in New Zealand, it is my conviction that aviation is on a sound footing,” declared Wing-commander S. Grant-Dalton, exdireetor of Air Services, before his departure by the Marama for England. “At the moment it would be too ranch to expect a number of commercial routes to spring up overnight, but they will come in time. Wing-commander Grant-Dalton said that already a start had been made with commercial services. He could see that the time would come when New Zealand would be covered by air routes. Once the main routes had been organised there seemed to be no reason why smaller feeder routes should not spring up all over the country, thereby putting isolated communities in touch with the main centres.“In the meantime,” he said, “it is my hope that private aviation will continue to flourish. The numerous aviation clubs that have sprung up all over the North and South Islands are the backbone of aviation in the country. Let it be the ambition of every instructor to turn out well-trained pilots. There is no need to rush matters. _ Too much time cannot be taken in laying the loundation of air-mindedness. Clubs can establish a standard of reliability in those they train that should go a long way to gain and keep the confidence of the general public. GOOD PILOTS “ In my opinion a pilot who is properly trained in New Zealand can hold bis own with the pilots of any other country. With the return of prosperity 1 am certain that good use will be made of the aeroplane in New Zealand. It has been shown already that it is possible to travel from one end of the Dominion to _ the other in a matter of hours, and the Tasman has been crossed on two occasions. It may be too much (o expect that commercial trans-Tasman developments will materialise on the basis of only two tripsConsiderable spadework is still required before that happens.” It had been his hope, lie said, while director or Air Services, to make it possible for a member of the New Zealand Air Force to be the first to make the trip from England to New Zealand. But for the need for strict economy that would have been accomplished in a seaElane. There were many pilots in the lominion perfectly capable of making the t,,P ‘ RETURN PROBABLE

“ Now that we are going,” said the wing-commander, “ I feel that I must say that both my wife and myself have enjoyed every moment of our all too brief stay. New Zealand is famous for the hospitality that it extends to visitors. Every single member of my family can vouch for that, and so far as they are concerned this fame does not rest upon mere empty words. For the last_ few months we have been able to gain a knowledge of life in the country districts of New Zealand. It is a life not to be obtained in many other countries. We shall never forget the fun we have had and the friends we have made. We are all sincerely sorry to be leaving. Indeed, it is perhaps not giving away a secret to say that there is every chance in the near future that we may decide to return and settle in New Zealand. It'is understood that Wing-commander Grant-Dalton intends to travel to England via Sydney and the Suez Canal. His eldest daughter, Miss Evelyn GrantDalton, will break the journey in Egypt in order to visit her uncle, Colonel Cox. Governor of Transjordan.