The Wanganui Chronicle, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1945. FLYING YOUR OWN AEROPLANE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 89, Issue 300, 20 December 1945, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1945. FLYING YOUR OWN AEROPLANE

PROSECUTION of an ardent supporter of civil aviation in Palmerston North recently because the Hew his own plane which had no certificate of airworthiness, served to remind New Zealand that there is a large number of people in the Dominion who are looking forward to the day when aeroplanes Will be privately owned. That’day may be a long way away, but it will certainly arrive. That it is to be encouraged goes without saying, but it must be encouraged along right lines and with adequate safeguards. Resuscitation of aero clubs is one of the ways in which it can be encouraged. Wanganui had one of the most progressive aero clubs in New Zealand and its pioneering work helped to encourage an air sense among many who laid the foundations of the R.’N.Z.A.F. So far, there have not been many outward signs of Government encouragement of such clubs, perhaps because it is yet too early to launch out from the period of recess into which such clubs have gone during the war. But they must be revived, and will be revived. No doubt there will be a lot of opposition, based on much the same sort of arguments as were used to combat the motor-ear when it first plied the roads. New Zealand, however, must work towards the day when the aeroplane will be used with as much readiness as a privately-owned motor-ear, and revival of aero clubs is one of the means of bringing that day nearer.