AIR INSTRUCTION CAMP.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1932, Page 7

AIR INSTRUCTION CAMP.

FIRST OF KIND IN DOMINION

INNOVATION BY NEW PLYMOUTH.

PUPILS TO TRAIN AT BELL BLOCK.,

An instruction camp for pupils and pilots, the first of its kind in New Zealand, will be held by the New Plymouth Aero Club at the New Plymouth aerodrome during a “Learn to Fly” week that is being arranged at the same time as the New Plymouth autumn show. Those taking part in the camp, who are expected to include a number of pilots from other chibs, will live at the aerodrome during the three days of the camp. . . , The holding of the camp is an original idea of the New Plymouth club, and already other clubs have expressed keenness to follow suit. The trainees will be quartered in the hangar and in one of the workrooms, where special arrangements will be made for accommodation. Meals will be cooked at the aerodrome and a hot water service is being installed. The men will go into camp at noon on Thursday of the week and bieak camp on the following Sunday. All the four machines of the Western Federated (N. 1. Flying Clubs will be at the aerodrome, and advanced instruction will be given to pupils. This will be undertaken by the federation instructor, Flying-Officer lan Keith. Arrangements are also to be made with officers of the permanent staff of the. New Zealand Air Force to give a series of lectures, .The syllabus drawn up covers the three days of the camp completely. On the concluding day a programme of flying is being arranged to take place at the aerodrome. The Taranaki Aerial Derby will be competed for, the winner to hold the Jones Cup, and the all-trans-port race will be held for the. Power Cup. There will be a special stunt consisting of a “dog fight” between two planes, with a spectacular and novel conclusion. There will be other events on the programmWand in the evening the new club room wil he officially opened. A special committee of the club to further arrangements for the camp and for the “Learn to Bly” week met yesterday. It wag decided to make use of a Curtis instruction machine which io being lent by the Vacuum Oil Company for the purpose of establishing an aviation scholarship. The machine is so contrived that instruction in flying can be given to pupils without their leaving the ground. The machine is to be shown in one of the New Plymouth shops, and a competition will be held to decide the entrant who displays the greatest skill with the machine. The winner will be entitled to the whole of the proceeds of the competition as a scholarship to assist him to learn to fly. The final judging will be done by the club’s instructor.

Arrangements are being made with the Taranaki Agricultural Society to have a stand at the society’s show with the machine on display, together with aeroplane wings, engines, and propellers and photographs of planes in flight to lend an atmosphere to the display. Proposals are under consideration to have an aeroplane at the showgrounds on people’s day. It was decided that arrangements should be made to hold a formation flight over the showgrounds in the afternoon of People’s Day with 12 planes in the air. An endeavour will be made to give an exhibition of stunting and trick flying near the showgrounds, so arranged as not to frighten the stock. For “Learn to Fly” }veek it is expected that planes would be assembling from the Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Wanganui, Hawera, Canterbury and Marlborough Aero Clubs, and the Hobsonville air base. A series of such aviation weeks is being held by clubs throughout the Dominion. Auckland and Wellington have just completed theirs, and Dunedin and Invercargill are about to follow suit.

The final judging of the model aeroplane competition will be done at the pageant on the last day of the week. The models will be on show at the showgrounds on People’s Day.