NEW BOMBERS ASSEMBLED

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19978, 1 July 1939, Page 14

NEW BOMBERS ASSEMBLED

FIRST FAIREY-GORDONS FLIGHT TO WTO RAM TWO- GUN ARM AM ENT (Por Proas Association.) AUCKLAND, till is day. After assembly and testing toy the staff cC the Hobsonvi'lle base, two of itlie Fairey-Gordon 'medium-range ■bombers 26 of which recently arrived in New Zealand from Egyptian depots of the Royal Air Force, were flown yesterday from Auckland to Wellington, en route to the Royal New Zealand: Air Force base at Wigram. Other machine's of the shipment will! toe sent so-uth as they become available.

Piloted 1 by Flying-Officer K. G. Smith and Pilot-Officer L. H. Wiggins, of Wigram, the machines left Hotosonville in the morning and 1 advice was l received in Auckland during the afternoon that they had landed at Rongotai aerodrome. It was proposed to continue the flight to Wigram to-day.

Steady progress is being made by the Hobsonviile staff in. the assembly of the Fairey-Gordons, which arrived from, Egypt’ on the Federal Line steamer Huntingdon on June 3. The first of their type <to come to New Zealand, the machines arc biplanes, with folding wings 'and an armament of one fixed Vickers gun firing forward and one Lewis gun in the rear cockpit. Bombs are carried under the wings. Although far from being obsolete, the Fairey-Gordons are being replaced in the Near Eastern, stations toy more modern machines. When purchase of the aircraft was announced, it was stated that they would he allotted to the different New Zealand squadrons. Following their assembly, they are tested ft I-lobsonville and! flown, to their destination. It is expected several further flights to Wigram will! be made.