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Otago Witness, Issue 4063, 26 January 1932, Page 34

Charged under the provisions of the Aviation Act, 1918, George Douglas Seabourne was fined £3 at the Wanganui

Police Court on Tuesday for flying at an altitude and proximity which might have been dangerous to the public. This is the first charge to be made under the section of the Act in New Zealand. Seven witnesses gave evidence that the machine was flying at too low an altitude over the crowd at the South Beach on December 13. Some of the witnesses thought that the aeroplane was going to land on the beach, and others considered that it was flying too low to make a safe landing. Seabourne said that he had piloted the aeroplane according to instructions given by Mr F. C. Norton, who was in the cockpit at the time. He had flown at an altitude of from 200 to 400 feet. He considered that he was flying at a safe height and could make a good landing at any time. He had learnt his flying in the Royal Air Force and had held a New Zealand pilot’s license for eight months. Frederick Charles Norton, the owner of the plane, verified the heights given by Seabourne, and said that Seabourne could have landed safely at any time during the flight. In summing up, the magistrate (Mr J. H. Salmon) said that he must accept the weight of evidence, which showed that a number of responsible citizens had been apprehensive of their safety when the aeroplane was flying overhead.