AERIAL TOUR

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17081, 14 October 1929, Page 7

AERIAL TOUR

VISIT TO GISBORNE ANOTHER POSTPONEMENT It was anticipated through the weekend that the Auckland flight of planes would land at .Gisborne this morning, after flying from Hastings. Another postponement of the visit to Gisborne was found necessary, however, in view of the weather, it being considered advisable to take no risks with the machines. These are now carefully stowed in the hangars of the Hawke's BayAero Club, near Hastings, and while the weather is not too bad for flying, the pilots are not prepared to take the chance of leaving their machines out at night with the possibility of a heavy Storm comjng up and doing harm to them. In this connection, it was emphasised to-day that there is more danger to aeroplanes in staying unprotected on the ground, during a storm, than in being flown at a height. Conditions which will permit of reasonably good Hying will often cause damage to the fabric, and even to the structure of a plane, if the machine is exposed in the open. The possibility of a squall coming down suddenly and wrenching the planes at their moorings is one that the visiting flyers could not face without serious perturbation, and realising their responsibility for the welfare of the machines, they communicated with GisJborno early this morning, asking for advice as to their best course. They were advised not to make the trip today, but to keep their planes in Hawke's Bay, where the hangars of the Aero Club are available in case of trouble, and this course they adopted. Discussing the matter to-day, Mr. Geo. Nicholls, whose experience in aviation is well known, stated that it was only the want of hangars here that necessitated the postponement of the planes' \ visit. If there had been any sort of shelter available near the landing ground the Auckland aviators would have come on to Poverty Bay, but he had advised them that they could not shelter their machines within miles of the temporary flying ground. There was no question . that the machines coidd have flown to Gisborne without trouble, but in the circumstances it would not have been wise to risk the trip with the certainty that the planes would have to be left out all night before resumption of the tour to Auckland. Further, there was the chance that really bad weather would come up, preventing any further flying for a few days, in which case the machines would be subjected to continued exposure and the possibilities of wind damage at their moorings. It is expected that the Auckland pilots will flv to Gisborne as soon as the weather settles, and in order to apprise the public of their arrival, the planes will fly in formation over the town before landing *at Matawhero. The Hawke's Bay .Aero Club's machine, piloted by Captain T. White, will accompany the Auckland flight, in all probability.