AVRO RETURNS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20044, 6 September 1920, Page 8

AVRO RETURNS.

head kb mn mm END OF PIONEER FLIGHT. AIRMEN CONGRATULATED. t Against a strong southerly wind, with occasio'Ual rain showers and heavy clouds; Captain Euan Dick- , Drought back his Avro from V Naikoura this morning, landing ' Rifely at tho Sockburn aerodrome 11.55 a.m. The flight was the last leg of an out-and-home trip to ; Wellington, which will always rank as the outstanding pioneer feat of aviation in New Zealand, since it included the first aerial crossings of Cook Strait, both northward and southward. The strong southerly weather created the impression that Captain Dickson would not fly south, but a telephone message from Kaikoura early stated that (the aviator would bo in on time. There was a fairly large party at the* aerodrome, including the Mayor (Dr Thacker, M.P.) and Mrs Thacker, the Hon H. F. Wigram, chairman of the Canterbury Aviation Company, and Mrs Wigram, the Chief Postmaster (Mr a, and other postal officers, the ent of tho Progress League (Mr A. G. Henderson) and the organiser (Mr P. R. Climie), the ■ president of the Automobile Association (Mr J, S. Hawkes). Mr and Mrs G. H. Hewlett, Mr Richard Allen, tho Town Clerk (Mr P. R. Smith) and Mrs Smith, and many others. Tho first glimpse of the machine apparently low down, was caught through field glasses a little before 12 o’clock. Immediately Captain D. Gray set off id another Avro, with Mr G. E. Rhodes as passenger, to give an aerial welcome. The outgoing machine , became gradually smaller and .tho incoming machine bigger as they wore indistinctly outlined against heavy cloud banks. Then Captain Gray turned, and came on slightly behind the; northern machine. There was a good deal of excitement as they came nearer. Captain Gray . put his machine into a couple of dives and banks that took off the pace, and the weather-beaten Avro that had ridden out such severe storms at Trnntham camo very easily to rest with the passengers waving gaily and the pilot looking very cheerful in the front scat. The ■machine was quickly surrounded, and Captain Dickson was congratulated on all sides, while his passenger (Mr A. W. Buxton, of Christchurch) and mechanic (Mr J.. E. Moore) also came ip for hearty handshakes. The handing over of the mail bag was “snapped” by photographers, and in a couple of minutes the Mayor was reading the contents of a letter from Picton. Tho, Mayor called for cheers when Captain Dickson stepped out of the machine, and there was a brief interval of apecchmaking, while the sun camo out to brighten tho proceedings CDNGH A’i’U RATION & “.1 want first of all to highly congratulate and compliment. Captain Dickson and his chief officer, Air Moore,” said the .Mayor, “ on their successful Aerial trip back from the North island. We have had instituted 'bore in Canterbury tho first real aviation school in the Dominion,- and tho gentleman who is to be the most highly congratulated on this subject is the Don H. F. Wigram, who has been the pillar stone of it. By his endeavours bo got the most skilled aviator, the iate Mr C. M. Hill, who, sad to relate, Is now one of the heroes of pioneer aviation m Canterbury, Following on him we havo our notable captain and ins mechanic. ■ Captain Dickson re- ? wires no flowers from me, for his war ccprd ' Was a wonderful one, and he .accounted for eighteen or twenty enemy machines. Captain Dickson has won the confidence of . everybody. The morning he circled over Wellington harbour wo South Islanders were delighted because wc knew that there was to bo some enterprise from the other side of the Stnut, It was kept secret, for had tho rival aviators known sooner they would have beaten him m flying tho most hazardous piece of water in tho world. We ought also to compliment his mechanic, for unless all is well with the machine thipgs cannot go well. What wo want is lor .Captain Dickson to make safety the first and greatest consideration, and wc will have a wonderful enterprise throughout New Zealand.” (Applause.) The Hon H. F. Wigram thanked the Mavor for being present to help in welcoming Captain Dickson from the North " ln . n “; disclaimed the kind things that tho Mayor had said about him because the success of the school had been grenHy duo to his great friend, Mr Hill, who really did more for the school than ho had done, inasmuch as he had trained between 180 and 200 pupils f or war purposes without a single serious accident. He was glad to be present, 3 a -It 0 'rtv P roud of the achievement, and Mrs Wigram joined him in welcomSh£u ■ and Mr Mooto WIN FOR SOUTH ISLAND. Captain Dickson, addressing the Mayor, expressed his appreciation of the kind reception they had got on their return, and thanked everybody for and /bowing their keenness tt k tw ai! T , for aV2ation > and for this stunt, winch was a, win for tho Soivth Island. He was glad: to bo back safely, and he thought there was causa for congratuktion in the flight across • . Hie Strait, for it was a win for the South 1 Z d \r hlCh CoU i! d nofc be taken away Air Moore,*who was also called on epoke ofithe credit due to Captain Dick--6011 forjnakmg the Strait crossing after 'n aV a day V- At 011e l >oin t round the headland at Kaikoura on the outWard trip, he said, they were travelling 5 tho j‘ r °’} (l ?- Rowing they were short of petrol but Captain Dickson manoeuvred tho machine round the 1 K W , ay ,^ t made him think hard, and they landed quite nicely. At irentham thjey had a very bad time, with very little sleep during the overnight gales. THE TRIP DESCRIBED. Captain Dickson, describing his fiight said that ho started half an hour late on account of delay in receiving the mails from the Post Office. Ho started in a heavy westerly, which developed after leaving the Kaikoura hills, into a south-westerlv, H e fl ew f 7 of about 2000 ft. and turned inland about Hawks- ,, wood, to comply with a telegraphed request from the chairman of the school committee to fly over Cheviot on the way back. Be descended to about 1000 ft over Cheviot, and circled around the township, then set off south, following the railway lino from Mina to the Hurunui bridge. Then lie Btruck out towards Teviotdale to reacli th« low country as soon as possible. Ho flew over the seaward side of Leithfield at 2Cooft, and camo down to 600 ft over Kaiapoi before gaining height iigain. The machine passed through a heavy shower of rain between Leithfield and Kaiapoi, and the rest of the jourtuy was without incident. It was raining in tho hills, and that was why lid kept out to the coast until reaching Hawkswood. The time he registered was Ihr 65min, from 10 a.m. till 11,65 n.iu. THE TRIP REVIEWED. 'Tho northern trip was commenced on Wednesday, August 20, in dull, unfavourable weather, with a north wind, but Captain Dickson’s judgment was Justified, for he pushed straight up to

Wellington with tho briefest stops at Kaikoura and Blenheim, and was able to hop across the Strait between two very severe storms. In Wellington a storm of unusual violence broke overnight, and Captain Dickson was obliged to remain there until the Saturday atternoon, when lie returned to Blenheim. He remained there until Saturday last, when he Hew on to Kaikoura, remaining therb over Saturday, and returning this morning. The times registered out and home were as follow :

CIVIC DISPATCHES. The letters received by the Mayor by aerial post were read by him 'to tho crowd at tho aerodrome. The first letter, from the Mayor of Picton, was as follows:—Captain Dickson has kindly agreed to carry this lettef by air, and I take this opportunity of sending you cordial greetings from Picton. The difficulties of travel have tended to keep apart two places which should long ago have been connected by rail, to the benefit of both. I trust that tho object lesson afforded by the easy, swift passage of Captain Dickson’s Avro machine between tho centres of Canterbury and Marlborough will serve to emphasise their actual proximity, and hasten the completion of tho line. With best wishes, Gerard J. Riddell, Mayor. A second letter from the DeputyMayor of Blenheim was as follows: “ Dear Dr Thacker, —Permit me to take advantage of this, the first aerial mail service Blenheim to Christchurch, to scud municipal greetings and congratulations to your city upon tho fact that such an opportunity is available and to express the bone that a permanent service of such a nature will bo regularly available from day to day in the near future. ‘‘it is by common consent agreed that the failure of the Government to complete the mun trunk line has resulted in the complete isolation of this province whilst almost every other portion of the Dominion has benefited by means of mter-communication, and anything which tends .to remove that isolation is without doubt a matter which we should and ought to encourage. " I sincerely hope that work upon the main trunk line will be shortly resumed and earned on continuously thereafter to completion, and trust that you will continue to do all that is possible to impress upon the Government, both personally and by your influence, the 1 necessity which urgently exists for the speedy construction of such railway until that object is an accomplished tact. “ W. D. PIKE, “ Deputy-Mayor.” The organiser of the Marlboronali Chamber of Commerce, Mr Will Lawson, wrote to Mr P. R, Climie, organiser, of the Canterbury Progress League:— “ Dear Sir,—Aerial greetings I Captain Dickson is carrying a mail with him on his return to Christchurch via Kaikoura to-morrow, and I take this opportunity of expressing the hope that now- that the proximity 0 f Christchurch to Blenheim has been exemplified, Canterbury and Marlborough will ere loim bo brought into closer touch than thev hav e been in the past. ‘ Tho distance rom Blenheim to Christchurch via Wellington is a formidable bar to closer relationship.; aerial travel for the masses is, of course, a matter for the distant . utnre; but the completion of the South Island Main Trunk railway would mean a very groat deal t 0 the inhabitants .of noth provinces, and also to the Dominion as a whole.” INCIDENTS OF THE TRIP. A big box of violets and forget-me-nots camo out of the cocl|pit of the machine. It was a tribute from Blenheim people regarding waose hospitality Captain Dickson could not speak too highly. Copies of “Marlborough tho Goldon,” a little booklet published by the Marlborough Progress Committee, camo south in addition to the ordinary mail. One of them, addressed to the Mayor of Christchurch, was autographed by tho leading men of Blenheim. -Mr A. \V. Buxton, who came south m the Avro from Kaikoura, was most enthusiastic regarding the trip. “ Everybody should go up,” he said, before they go below, it struck mo that the world was so beautiful and perfect 1 could not understa” i anyone having time to growl.” At Blenheim and Kaikoura Captain yickson took up 260 passengers. Ho haa brought back some fine photographs of the Blenheim district. Mr J. S. Neville, the assistant town Clerk, received no less than five letters from relatives in Blenheim, by the aerial post.

Out. Home. Chnatchuroh-Kftikoura hr. min. . 1 55 hr. min. 1 55 Kaikoura-Blonheim . . 1 SO i 9 Blenheim-Trentham '. . 1 15 1 5 Total in nir , . i 40 i 9