Improved Air Force Urged

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 113, 3 August 1927, Page 9

Improved Air Force Urged

DEFINITE PROGRAMME TRAINING OF RECRUITS (THE SI X’S Parliamentary Reporter .) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. Increased expenditure upon a definite programme of aircraft equipment is advocated in the annual report of the Defence Department. IN order to equip the composite squadrons to be formed at Wigram Airdrome and Hobsonville it is essential that a definite programme of annual purchase should be laid down and adhered to, and an increased expenditure on the Air Services will be required. A suggested scheme of progressive purchase of service and training aircraft has. been prepared. As this programme is spread over a considerable period, it is not possible to definitely state the annual expenditure involved, but it is under £35,000 until the years 1930-32, when the purchase of flying-boats brings the expenditure up to £50,000 for those two years. Several alternative schemes and plans of the layout of Hobsonville combined land-plane and sea-plane station have now been received from .he Air Ministry for consideration and t is proposed to ask for funds to proceed with development work when a decision has been arrived at. The recognition of the vital necessity or the training of air pilots has led .he Defence Department to arrange for the training of cadets in this line. TRAINING OF RECRUITS It is proposed to enlist up to a maximum of 10 cadets for training as pilots ind to enrol approximately 20 nechair~s from trades allied to various Air Fur • duties. The cadet pilots will, f possible, be drawn from engineering students at universities' and be given three months’ continuous training in flying and service duties, while the mechanics will be given training comt‘iirable in duration to that of the Territorial land forces. INADEQUATE GRANT TINKERING WITH AVIATION >EVELOPMENT AT STANDSTILL Little enthusiasm will be raised by the latest report on the development of the New Zealand Air Force. That is the opinion of interested Aucklanders. They conclude that the Government, on the provisional programme outlined, intend only to tinker with aviation. VOTHING more has been done to- " ward the utilisation of the Hob*onville property purchased as a future ilr base, and General Young’s statement suffices only to indicate v.aguely hat plans for the lay-out are under consideration. The defence authorities at Auckland mve no information other than that f ? e * out in the report and as the air toree is an entirely separate branch \\* iV- ie service, administered from 'vellington, they are not directly concerned PALTRY ALLOCATION Unsatisfactory features of the latest *eport are the acknowledgment that lie number of serviceable aircraft will Je less, and the announcement that the annual expenditure until 1930, at least, WI 4J not exceed £35,000. Those familiar with the cost of modern machines and equipment consider that this is a paltry allocation. *. r ; Leo Walsh, former director of the Kohimarama Flying School, said this morning that it was very disappoint*n£- distributed between the Wigram an< * Hobsonville bases, the proposed outlay would be altogether inadequate. * ven if modern machines were purmased the airdrome equipment and Plant could not be maintained at the Squired standards on such a grant. Mr. Walsh said good flying boats °V*d cost from £5,000 and upward rUw« d the Government proposed to • less than £35,000 between nriatchurch and Auckland, it coukl De seen that very little could be done. CIVIL AVIATION A disappointing feature was that the government was delaying the development of seaplane or flying-boat activinf S \ Auckland, with its abundance t sheltered waterways, that form of .mg was most important and should oe encouraged. h Walsh mentioned that he had t from time to time, inquiries as x* c * Possibilities of civil aviation in U '' Zealand. At present he thought lm P. ra cticable without a Govern- ■ ont .subsidy, to which such a venture of° U . fully entitled, as in the event any civil air service would at ico be commandeered.-