PEOPLE OF WANGANUI MUST NOT LET AERO CLUB GO INTO RECESS

Wanganui Chronicle, 27 November 1948, Page 4

PEOPLE OF WANGANUI MUST NOT LET AERO CLUB GO INTO RECESS

“It is true that the lack of Government assistance has been-one of the causes of the club’s difficulties, but there is another reason; that is the lack of interest and support accorded the club vby the people of Wanganui,” said Mr. D. M. Lethbridge, the Wanganui Aero Club’s captain, in an interview. The Wanganui Aero Club, said Mr. Lethbridge, had. trained 40 pilots since it resumed operations alter World WaPII, but less than half of these were young men from Wanganui. They constituted in the main young men from the country districts and from as far distant as Waverley, Marton and Taihape. Out of a population of more than 26,000 in the City of Wanganui, only 87 people were honory members of the club, which was entitled to something like 500 honorary members from such a population.

“Statements were recently made during a debate in Parliament on civil aviation that flying was a rich man’s hobby and that most of the club trained pilots were too old to be of any military value,” said Mr. Lethbridge. “The answer to that is that 90 per cent, of our club pilots are wage earners and that same proportion is eligible for military service. Within 12 months of the start of hostilities in the last war, the club had 67 of its members on active service and a number lost their lives.” TRAINING FOR EMERGENCIES Stating that tnany members o! the club were among the first to take .part in the recent war, Mr. Lethbridge said that these pilots had trained themselves at no cost to the Government. “Another war is on the horizon,” he added, “and the present young club pilots are paying hard cash out of their own pockets learning to fly. When the time comes again they will be the first to fight in the defence of their country. Are the people of Wanganui going to let them down by allowing the aero club to go out of existence?” he asked. Stating that if the club had to cease flying training Wanganui would be the only town of comparative size without" an aero club, Mr. Lethbridge said that on many occasions in the past the club had been able to provide emergency air transport at short notice. This was for transporting people to see seriously ill relatives and for the carrying of seriously ill people to hospitals as far away as Dunedin. In this direction alone, he said, the club was providing a very essential service, the value of which was demonstrated by the fact that in some centres public spirited citizens had banded together and bought an aircraft suitable for ambulance work and presented it to the local aero club. “The Wanganui Aero. Club has done a good job of work in the past and it behoves the people of Wanganui to rally to its aid in its time of linancial stress,” said Mr. Lethbridge. He said that if the club was forced to sell its aircraft before such time as the Government, acting on the recommendations of the recent civil aviation commission, agreed on some form of assistance for clubs, then it would be faced with a formidable task in making a<resh start. While the people of Wanganui were pressing for the establishment of a feeder air service, said Mr. Lethbridge, it was apparently not realised that the club was able to provide air transport to any part of the Dominion in its Percival Proctor. Carrying three passengers, this machine was comfortably appointed for crosscountry flying and was also capable of carrying ambulance cases. Its services as an ambulance aircraft might be required at any time and for that reason alone it was in the interests of the citv to see that the Proctor was not sold. VALUE OF AIR TRAVEL

The value of air travel was not sufficiently realised in Wanganui. There should be much work for the Proctor if people realised the reasonableness and speed and comfort of air travel.

Dealing with the cost of flying in structions, Mr. Lethbridge said the club had endeavoured to keep the figure as near the pre-war level as possible. Costs were much greater now than before the war but to increase charges would not be a solution because the majority of trainees were men on low wages who had to work on a budget to carry out their training. With adequate Government assistance, however, it should be possible to reduce charges and so make flying available to an even greater number of people. Duel instruction was still at £3 10s an hour as before the war but the solo rates had been consolidated at £2 4s an hour whereas a number of rates varying from fl 10s to £2 10s were previously in operation.