NATIONAL AVIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21647, 18 May 1932, Page 4

NATIONAL AVIATION

SIR A. COBHAM’S PLAN MESSAGE FROM PRINCE OF, - WALES. (From Oor Own Correspondent.) LONDON, April 7. Between now and October Sir Alan Cobham intends to visit 175 towns in all parts of the country, accompanied by a party of eminent pilots and 12 aeroplanes of different kinds. The main purposes of the tour are to give demonstrations and to stimulate public interest in commercial flying. The Master of Sempill presided at a luncheon this week in connection with a National Association Day. In 1919, said the chairman. Sir Alan Cobham visited 110 centres, and, besides giving flights to 5000 municipal representatives, he was able, through the generosity of Lord Wakefield, to give flights to 10,000 school children. This year Lord Wakefield was again providing for 10,000 free flights, but they were to be given to civic and municipal authorities. The machines were with and without engines, with fixed wings, and With rotary wings. Sir Alan Cobham was carrying on his own shoulders the entire financial burden of the campaign, which should do more to advance aviation and quicken the interest of the people in it than anything that had gone before. Sir Alan read a message from the Prince of Wales, who said: “Air travel does much to make the whole world kin and to kelp to that community of thought among nations which is the best augury for future peace and for the confidence and prosperity of the world.” Sir Alan explained that there were thousands of people in England who had never been near an aeroplane and millions who had never been in the air. He wanted to give them a chance of becoming acquainted with aviation. It was important that public interest should be enlisted because there wag going to be an enormous market for aeroplanes abroad, and it was necessary to secure the industry by means of home orders until that demand arose. A programme had been prepared, and would /form an interesting souvenir of these national aviation days.