OFF HIS COURSE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18761, 18 July 1935, Page 4

OFF HIS COURSE

PUPIL PILOT’S ESCAPE HASTINGS TO WHAKATANE TRICKY LANDING AND TAKE-OFF Aviation enthusiasts in Gisborne and llawke’s Bay were deeply concerned yesterday regarding the fate of a plane which-left Hastings at 11 o’clock in the morning on a solo flight to Gisborne, and which failed to reach Darton Field within the usual allowance of time for the journey. Hite in the afternoon advice was received from Whakatane that the pilot, Mr. M. H. Bateman, had brought his machine clown there safely, after having lost his course over tho hilly country between Witiroa and Gisborne.

Details of the llight secured later, after Mr. Bateman had refuelled his plane and flown back to indicated that ho had been extremely fortunato to escape with only slight damage to the plane as the result of his misadventure.

The plane was one of the Hawke's Bay and East Coast Aero Club’s machines, and the pilot, Mr. Bateman, ‘was undergoing-‘a course-of instruction under Mr. A. G. Gerrand, the club s instructor. Before setting out on tbo flight, he was given detailed instructions as to the course he should follow, and was furnished with a map indicating his direction from ’point to point cn the flight. INQUIRIES MADE When ho failed to report his arrival within a reasonable time, officials of the club in Hastings naturally took The quickest possible steps to locate s(nt, but apparently nothing could be from the southern terminus, and Gi:W borne members of the club were askew to take the matter up with urgency. The assistance of the chief postmaster at Gisborne, Mr. George Nelson, was invoked, and with his co-operation a series of inquiries was made in the areas in the hinterland of Poverty Bay. From Tiniroto it was discovered that a plane had been seen about noon, flying over the township and heading northward in a direction which would carry it past Gisborne oil an inland course. Later, from Mr. E'. W. M. Wallis’ homestead at Bushy Knoll, further advice of a similar character was received, the plane being described as passing between the homestead and Gisborne, but evidently flying toward tb» ranges to the northward. In the meantime, Mr. Gerrand and Mr. Maurice Field, a Hastings official of the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast Aero Club, arranged to come to Gisborne in another of the club’s machines to be in closer touch with the situation, and they reached Darton Field shortly after 4* o’clock.

Passengers who travelled to Gisborne from Napier by the 3 pan. service plane were asked to maintain a look-out over the hills, on the chance that the plane might- have made -a landing on some small area of flat ground. Their keen watch was without result, however, and when they reached Gisborne anxiety on behalf of Mr. Bateman was relieved, as he had reported to Gisborne headquarters of the Aero Club his arrival at Whakatane. MR. BATEMAN’S EXPLANATION A Press Association message from Wlnikatane, describing Mr. Bateman’s lauding there, stated that he, brought the plaue down successfully iu a paclaock with an area of only 'seven acres. The petrol- supply of'the machine had then been reduced to two gallons, and the explanation' of his leaving liis marked course was that he had lost his way in clouds over the hill section between Wairoa and Gisborne. The message stated further that Mr. Bateman had refuelled the plane, and taken off with less than 2Coyds runway, and had got His machine into the air despite a glancing contact with a pine-tree, which iiad induced a dangerous swerve on the part of the plane. When last seen from Whakatane, Mr. Bateman was making a good course m the direction of Gisborne.

At 4.30 p.m., the plane reached GisLorne in safety, showing only slight damage to"a -wing-tip, evidently the result of the - contact with the tree at Whakatane. He was met by Mr. Field and the club instructor, and gave a report of the circumstances which caused his'deviation from the established route betwc&n Hastings and Dartou Field. It, is evident that the Hastings pupilpilot must have been well off his course when he ran into clouds,Tor there have i ecu lew days during tile winter when tiymg conditions between the two towns nave been nioc° favorable, the sky being cloudless as far as could be seen Loin Gisborne, while atmospheric conditions generally were ideal so far as tne experience oi passengers by the East Coast, Airways plane went. This morning the two Hawke’s May and East Coast club machines returned to Hastings, Mr. Field piloting the plahe in which Mr. Bateman made his adventurous flight yesterday. The misadventure' experienced by lii<4 Hastings pupil-pilot serves to illus'tratjg probably better than any other incident could, the difference in safety-margins as between the planes of to-day and those of even a few years ago. Mechanical dependability has now reached such a stage that, even in the ease of a pilot having to continue his journey for an extended period, his range is only limited by the capacity of the fuel-tank. The almost clock-like regularity of the airways service between Gisborne and Napier, on the other hand, illustrates the capacity of highly-trained pilots to maintain tlieir course in all weathers.