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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18765, 23 July 1935, Page 7

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MISSING AKITIO FLYER ' QUEST IN RANGES FIRST DAY’S EFFORTS WIDE AREA COMBED (Per Press Association.) HASTINGS, this day. .Six searching planes and parties on foot have failed to find any sign of the missing airman, Mr Hamislx Armstrong, of Akitio. AU the planes returned to Hastings last night, having searched all probable places in which a crash might have occurred, the area of their operations having extended from Dannevirke in the south Kumpanga in the north. On both sides of the Ruahine ranges, aud also the coast from Akitio to Cape Kidnappers the visibility was quite good, except north of Hastings .and Kurapanga. Those in the Ougaonga district who heard the plane on Sunday morning said the engine was running smoothie, and evidently the pilot, having lost his direction in the fog, turned towards the Ruahine range, where it,is feared he crashed.

The country is very rough and difficult of access. There arc few fiats, however, on which a plane could be brought down by- a skilled pilot. In such au event, the pilot would be faced with considerable difficulty in finding his way back to civilisation. Yesterday search parties set out from Ongaonga sawmill, near where the plane was last heard, in order to conduct a search, while since early morning, three planes from the Hawke’s Bay and East Coast Aero Club, one from Palmerston North, and two from the Wairarapa-Ruahinc Club were engaged.

One of the search parties on foot yesterday afternoon at 4 o’clock saw smoke two miles away over rough country, seven miles from Ashley Clinton. Two men stayed the night in the open, intending to leave at daybreak to investigate further, and are to be augmented during the night by other men and provisions.

MACHINE FLYING LOW GLIMPSE ON SUNDAY (Per Press Association.) DANNEVIRKE, this day. There were no further developments in the search for Mr Ilamish Armstrong at this end. Planes flow along the Ruabines in Southern Hawke’s Bay yesterday afternoon, but saw nothing of the missing machine. Mr P. Ward, a settler on the Otawhao block, three miles south of Takapau, saw a plane flying fairly bypass over his place shortly after 10 o’clock on Sunday morning, heading in the direction of Hatuina, but noticed nothing unusual about it. /' A Waipukurau message states , that there is no noteworthy information as yet concerning the fate of Mr Hamish Armstrong and his Moth aeroplane. Parties arc operating from Takapau by plane and on foot. The clues followed yesterday included two lots of smoke, one at Norsewood and the other at Wakawaka, which are' being investigated.

ANOTHER PILOT LATE BREAK MADE IN TRIP (Per Press Association.) NELSON, this day. Extensive inquiries were made locally yesterday afternoon concerning the whereabouts of an airman, Mr "Whitehead, who left ‘Greymouth this morning for Blenheim, and had not reported late this afternoon. Word was received that Mr Whitehead had landed at Westport and was proceeding to Blenheim to-morrow.

LONG EXPERIENCE B CERTIFICATE PILOT HIGHLY SKILLED FLYER Mr Hamish Armstrong is the elder son of Mr and Mrs Frank Armstrong, very well-known settlers of the Akitio district. He resides at the “Akitio” homestead and farms the property known as the “front station,” while his younger brother, Mr Brian Armstrong, farms the “hack station,” these two areas comprising the original “Akitio” station,. which Mr Frank Armstrong conducted most successfully for manv years. The missing airman was the first Now Zealand sheepfarmer to .bring the use of an aeroplane into his daily work in connection with his property, using the machine for transport purposes frequently. On one occasion he saved several valuable days of inactivity by transporting by air a section of the shearing apparatus which had broken down during operations. The road between Akitio-and Dannevirke is a tortuous one at the -best of times, taking three hours to cover by ear, and during wet weather is sometimes impassable. In his plane, however, Mr Hamish Armstrong was able to complete the trip in all weathers in less than an hour. The 'Akitio district is n,ot by any means suitable for the general adoption of aviation and Mr Hamish Armstrong’s aerodrome was established on one of the few Hat sections of land in the district. In taking off and landing at this ground a great degree of skill is required,_ but Mr Armstrong found little difficulty in snfel.v executing these movements. GREEN FUSIL AGE

Mr Armstrong first learned to fly in the .Homeland, -and it was there that he purchased the piano which he has possessed ever since. The machine,' a Gypsy Moth, was tin? only one in New' Zealand with a green fuselage, and prior to returning to New Zeai land was flown torpid England and the Continent by Mr Armstrong. The machine was well known throughout New Zealand, having appeared at a large number of pageants held in all parts o° the Dominion. Mr Hamish Armstrong has to his credit an exceptionally large total of flying hours. He holds a B certificate passenger license and is entitled to commercial pilot status. He is also

an officer in the New Zealand Territorial Air Force.

The Armstrong family suffered a sad bereavement a few years ago when Mr John Armstrong, a cousin, son of Colonel James Armstrong, “Maungataniwha, ” Wairoa, lost his life while a member of the Royal Air Force in England.

GISBORNE JOINS SEARCH E.C. AIRWAYS COMPANY REPORT FROM MAHIA East Coast Airways, Limited, has placed one of its Do Havilland Dragon planes at the disposal of the searchers for the missing aeroplane, and an amendment has been made to to-day’s timetable to make this possible. The chief pilot, Squadron-Leader T. \V. White, left this morning with a full complement of passengers on the usual 7 o'clock trip to Napier, departing immediately for Hastings to pick up four observers to scour the ranges during the day. The second pilot, Flying-Officer R. Kirkup, left at 10 a.m. with the other Dragon so as to make the usual trip from Napier at 11 a.m. He was instructed to keep a particular look-out on the Mahia peninsula, from which a report has been received that an aeroplane was heard twice on Sunday. No trip from Gisborne will be inado this afternoon, and Mr. White will make the usual return from Napier late in the afternoon.

No great importance is attached to the Mahia report, because on Sunday one of the East Coast Airways’ planes flew in that direction on a sight-seeing trip. Both planes had been booked for trips on Sunday, - but in view of the conditions only one took the air. It flow around Mahia and on to Wairoa, but was unable to see much of the Wuikaremoana district in view of the heavy clouds on the hills. Another trip will be made next Sunday, weather permitting.

However, to make perfectly suro of the. airman lieing, found, the Mahia peninsula and the district in the vicinity was. thoroughly examined by Mr. Kirkup on this morning’s trips, and the pilot enlisted the aid of his passengers in keeping a sharp look-out.