FERRIED SPITFIRES

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23323, 5 October 1945, Page 6

FERRIED SPITFIRES

Woman Pilot Returns Conspicuous among the hundreds of khaki-clad servicemen on the decks of the troopship Dominion Monarch as she arrived in Wellington Harbour on Sunday afternoon was a trim figure .n the neat blue uniform with silver wings, of the Air Transport Auxiliary. This was Miss Trevor Hunter the first New Zealand girl to become a ferry oilot in England who has flown many types of aircraft, from light trainers to Mosquito bombers, during nearly four years in the service Miss Hunter’s favourite aircraft however, is not one of the big machines; it is the Spitfire. “Spits.” she maintains, have “got something " Miss Hunter, who holds the rank of first officer in the Auxiliary, now has the right to fly all single-engined and twin-engined aircraft. Like all other members of the Auxiliary however, she had to start by ferrying light single-eneined machines, progressing step by step, with periods of interim training to the larger and more difficult aircraft. “I started off on Miles Magisters. ’ she said, “and I also flew a lot of other light types. Later I took over trainers and fighters, and quite a long time after that I was put on to light twinengined aircraft After quite a lot of experience on these I went to heavy twin-engined aircraft.” Types flown included Warwicks. Mitchells Wellingtons. Beaufivhters. Mosquitos and Bostons. Most of Miss Hunter’s flying. however, was done in Spitfires. Machines were flown by the AT A. pilots from factories to the squadrons and from maintenance units to squadrons, the pilots being engaged in “generally moving aircraft about in England.’ and thus making more men available for combat duties Miss Hunter is a daughter of Mrs A. J Banks, of Hobson Street Wellington. and of the late Mr Hunter, of Wanganui She left the Dominion in 1941 to join the A.T.A.. and was recently stationed in Leicester Other New Zealand women pilots in the A.T.A. w T bo were mentioned by Miss Hunter include Mrs Furkert. Betty Black. June How den and Jane Winstone who was killed in an air crash.