EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1933, Page 9

EARLY DEVELOPMENT

AVIATION ON WEST COAST FORMATION OF FEDERATION. EARLY WORK AT NEW PLYMOUTH. Remarkable progress in a comparatively short space of time is revealed by the history of aviation on the west coast of the North Island, this being particularly true of that area from the Mokau River in the north to Feilding and Martoh in the south. It is only three and a-half years since the Western Federated (N. 1. Flying Club came into being and just over five years have passed from the time of the decision of a band of New Plymouth citizens to form a company and purchase an aeroplane in an endeavour to foster air sense in Taranaki and so keep the province abreast of the times. The New Plymouth, Hawera, Wanganui, Feilding and Manawatu Aero Clubs formed the federation. Manawatu withdrew some time

ago because Palmerston North was the centre of a wide district and it was felt that the club might do better financially were it independent of the other four.’ On June 16 Marton applied for inclusion and the federation was back to its original five units. At the present time the active federation membership is about 100, and, in the time since its inception, FlyingOfficer lan Keith has watched about three score of his pupils leave the ground for their first solo flights. Hard times have affected membership to a certain extent The results have not been attained without considerable effort on' the part of those citizens who interested themselves in aviation. Adherence to sound principles and a. tremendous amount of work by those men who were sufficiently far-sighted to recognise both the value and the very necessity of civil aviation has resulted, in its rapid advancement in New Zealand over the past few years. The pioneers of aviation have had difficulties to face in. their own particular sphere every whit as hard and exacting as,those faced and overcome by their forefathers upon first landing in and settling New Zealand. The type of plane, the ground, the routes and the dearth of qualified pilots to lead the way all played a part in checking advancement. But advance was inevitable. Flying was definitely established in other countries and the Dominion could not lag behind. START ON WEST COAST. While this struggle. was .taking place in the centres, Taranaki was content to meander along. Then suddenly—five years ago—a number of New Plymouth citizens set about developing the community’s air sense. To such good purpose did these people and those few others in different centres of the province devote their time, their labour and their money that aviation developed almost beyond their dreams. Nothing could hold back such a decided struggle for aerial expression. To-day the province has two clubs as members of the strong federation, controlling aviation from the Mokau almost to the Mana-' watu, and there is the recently-formed Stratford Club. There are five planes belonging to the federation and, as the figures show, flying has a definite and unassailable position in the life of*the people. The co-operation of the clubs in scrapping individuality for the greater strength of a coastal combine has been one of the brightest features in the whole movement. No effort is' required to see that provincial flying in New Zealand is even yet hardly out of its infancy, and such infancy could easily prove too costly a burden for the smaller clubs that were wont to spring up all over the country when the wave of air sense swept it. Of course, difficulties arose in the course of initial operation, but the patience and assistance of the units concerned soon produced smooth and happy working. PROVINCIAL DEVELOPMENTS. The first definite move towards forming an aero club came at New Plymouth early in October, 1928, when the New Plymouth Tourist and Expansion League, of which Mr. G. M. Spence was then president, convened a public meeting at which it was resolved to form a club and a nominal membership fee was fixed to cover preliminary expenses. The Connett estate at Bell Block was chosen as a suitable site for an aerodrome, visiting airmen expressing entire satisfaction with the ground and Wing-Com-mander (then Major) T. M. Wilkes, Director of Air Services, being favourably impressed. The Hon. T. M. (now Sir Thomas) Wilford inspected the ground in 1929 and as a result of his visit it became known that, if the whole of the estate could be procured, the aerodrome would obtain a No. .1 rating. In view of the geographical position the Minister stressed the importance of this, and events since that-time have proved the wisdom of the move. . FEDERATION BEGINNING. Meanwhile, on May 3, 1929, about 100 Hawera citizens met to discuss the possibility of forming an aero club at that centre. The principal objects of the movement were to provide landing facilities in keeping with the importance of the town and to arrange for the training of pilots in the district. The committee set up at that meeting eventually acquired Dunlop Field, the present aerodrome, and built the large hangar. At the instigation of Wing-Commander S. Grant-Dalton, then Director of Air Services, the New Plymouth, Hawera, Wanganui, Manawatu (and later, Feilding) Aero Clubs set about forming a federation under the present title. The Director indicated at the time that his department would not assist individual clubs but would provide a Government subsidy if they were formed into one organisation. Under the present federation, the individual clubs control their respective aerodromes but all training of pilots and the control of flying generally in the territory is under the direction of the federation, which possesses its own aeroplanes and employs its own instructor, ground engineer and staff. The plan was mooted at a meeting of delegates of the New Plymouth, Hawera and Wanganui Clubs at Hawera in March, 1930., About a month . later representatives of the clubs met at Wanga-

nui-with the idea of-ensuring early flying activity, and.,with... the ultimate object of minimising the; cost of providing planes, and instructor. The combine was definitely formed and -a . set rules drafted. .. , PROGRESS AND EXECUTIVE. . The federation virtually assumed control as from June 1,; 1930, although the necessary -clubs were not all incorporated until after that date. Recognition of the flying claims of the federation was given when Mr.’ Spence .was elected to vice-presidency when the New Zealand Aero 'Club came' into being at a conference of representatives of clubs at Wellington on June 6 of the same year. The wide question of aeroplane insurance • was one of the first problems of the New Zealand Aero Club. Flying-Officer lan Keith was appointed permanent instructor to ; the New -Plymouth club on the eve of the formation of the federation. He was also to act as instructor to the Hawera and Wanganui dubs, and the federation had no hesitation in appointing him to that position. Since then he has moved from aerodrome to aerodrome in the course of his work, the shifts depending upon conditions in the different centres and the number of pupils. The planes are stationed just where they are wanted, al- . though this again depends to some extent upon the necessity for overhaul of the machines at the workshop at Bell Block. The position of federation ground engineer was gained by Mr. A. Salter, who is stationed for the most part at New Plymouth, the permanent workshop of ■ the organisation having been established there, Mr. S. E. Nielson became the federation’s secretary. EXECUTIVE AND SUBSIDY.' '• Delegates from each of the affiliated clubs comprised the federation executive for some time after its inception and the meetings were held monthly, the place being alternatively Hawera and Wanganui. Finally it was decided that such administration was'too costly and so an emergency . executive, - comprising the presidents of all the clubs and the secretary, was appointed to deal with most of the business. This-, executive at present is Messrs. A. S. Burgess, chairman (Wanganui), A, F. Sandford (New Plymouth), E. Short (Feilding), F. ■ Purnell (Marton) and Dr. W. F. Buist (Hawera). Subsidies are received by clubs if they train a certain number of pupils in the year, a specified sum being paid towards the training of each one by the Government. The federation received the full subsidy last year as well as a bonus for putting through the requisite number. In view of the times the number trained could hardly have been equalled by any other club in New Zealand. Among the members of the different clubs that comprise the federation there are several who have gained ground engineer licenses.