POPULAR FLYING

Taranaki Daily News, 12 August 1930, Page 13

POPULAR FLYING

AVIATION IN AMERICA. EVERYDAY EXPERIENCE. The popularity of commercial flying in America was enthusiastically referred to by Mr. D. Carter, Auckland manager of the Union Steam Ship Company, •who returned by the Aorangi on Sunday evening from an extensive tour of the Pacific Coast, Canada and Honolulu. “Aviation has been highly commercialised on the coast .and throughout the States and Honolulu, and there are daily services from Los Angeles to San Francisco and Mexico, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, and also to Salt Lake City,” ho said. “At moderate expense, one can fly from San Francisco to almost any point, the machines .in use being principally three-engined Fokkers. ot 1350 li.p., with a speed of 125 to 140 miles an hour. They carry twelve persons and will take 301 b of luggage per passenger free.” Mr. Carter said there were daily services from Honolulu to Maui, Molokai and the Hawaiian Islands, and three times a' week to the garden island of Kauai. These services were commenced last November and up to July 128,000 miles liad been flown without accident. Two-engined Sikorsky planes 1 were used, flying at 05 miles an hour, and the seat-

ing aecofnmodatibn provided for eight ; persons and their luggage, -231 b for each adult, a charge of Is ’extra being made for each Jib as a deterrent to overloading. A few. days ago these machines were licensed to carry Iff .passengers, but it is : not intended actually to carry more than nine. “Flying is pleasant and the machines, both Fokker and Sikorsky, are very comfortable and skilfully handled,” said Mr. Carter. “Short flights can be made at almost all the cities, including Honolulu, th© fares being £2 Iffs for the 130 miles from Portland to Seattle and £4 for the 100 miles from Maui to Honolulu.

“As New Zealanders obtain the air sense, as they undoubtedly will, flying will become quite the popular way of travelling between the various cities and towns,” he said, “but the essentials are good and safe airports and efficient and safe machines. Pilots we can produce in New Zealand under the efficient training of British airmen, who are equal to, if not better than, those in America. Airsickness is not so prevalent as is generally supposed.” Mr. Carter, who travelled extensively during his trip, said that business generally on the coast was affected by the recent financial slump, but the feeling was hopeful that a revival'would shortly take place.. t.An?oil<.warwas prevalent, rates i , 4duced i Appreciably and affecting the whole of the United States and Hawaii. Business in Hawaii, he