AID NECESSARY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27091, 27 May 1949, Page 6

AID NECESSARY

VALUE OF AERO CLUBS GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE REQUIRED The fact that a loss of £748 12s 6d had been' shown on the years operations was mentioned by the president, Mr W. F. Forrester, at the annual meeting of the Otago Aero Club. This had been reduced by £267, the clubs share of the Government’s grant of £sooo’ to the aero clubs of New Zealand. This loss had been incurred despite every endeavour to reduce the club’s overhead by storing machines and increasing flying fees. “While the increase in fees may have contributed to the reduction in flying hours, there are other factors responsible and I consider the main one is the lack of interest of the young men of the present time in taking on flying either as a hobby or as a career,” he said. “ The Air Training Corps finds that it is having more difficulty each year in providing its quota for flying where the instruction is paid for by the Government Let us hope that this is only a passing phase, but it may continue until there is introduced some form of compulsory service.” , . . Mr Forrester referred to the findings of the recent United Kingdom Civil Aviation Mission in regard to aero, clubs in New Zealand, in which Governmental assistance of certain types was recommended. The present Government subsidy to the clubs was only a drop in the bucket, contended Mr J. Mclndoe. It was obvious that aircraft must be New ■Zealand’s first line of defence, and "with the record of club-trained, pilots in the past war as an example, the Government’s short-sighted policy I was incomprehensible. “At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Aero Club, the Minister of Defence, Mr Jones, said that the New Zealand Government was doing more than any other Government in the world to help the aero clubs." said Mr I. H. Penrose, his. remark being greeted with derisive laughter. “»When you get an attitude like that you can see what the standing committee is up against.” There was one ray of hope, he said. •The Department of Aviation was working on amended maintenance and certificate of airworthiness charges for light aircraft, and it was fair to hope that these would be reduced in the dear future. On the other hand, insurance charges were likely to ’rise very considerably. “I think the Government is genuine when it says it does not want the aero clubs to go under,” he said. “We are not the only club which is struggling to exist —in fact, almost all of them are having a hard time—and it is obvious that something must be done by the Government.” The following • officers were elected: —President, Mr M. S. Myers; vice-president, Mr K. W, Stewart; committee—Messrs I. H. Penrose, P C. McKinlay, J. P. Burke, A. W Phillips, J. R. Day, H. I. Sinclair and F. L. Lindsay. The following trophies were presented at the conclusion of the meeting:—Senior landing competition (challenge cup), M. Hutcheson; junior landing competition (Trengrove Cup), D;:. Campbell; senior'bombing compeftion (Olsen Trophy), A. Phillips; inior bombing competition (bombig cup), S. Caldwell; obstacle race ■ trophy, E.. Mansfield; general aircraftsmanship trophy, .G. Gordon.