MANAWATU AERO CLUB

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 22, 22 December 1932, Page 4

MANAWATU AERO CLUB

AERIAL ACTIVITIES TO BE RESUMED.

Since December 3, when llie AJanawatu Aero Club's only ’plane crashed, flying activities necessarily came to an abrupt end. The president and the committee of the club, however, have i l>een busy making arrangements to j resume training as soon as possible, and shortly before dark yesterday, the new 'plane was heard flying over the I city and then landed at Alilson aeroI drome. j Due to the assistance of . Hon. J. jG. Cobbe, Alinister of Defence, the Icl iti) are now resuming activities as the Alinister has considerably helped j the club by arranging for one of tire i department’s ’planes, which was oil I loan, to the AVestern Federated Club, !to lie temporarily transferred to Palmerston North. This machine, ABS, j which arrived last night, was flown to Wanganui by one of the federation | pilots, and later brought to Alilson by I Air L. AlcGaffin, a member of the local club. It is a Alotli machine, i with a steel fuselage similar to the j club’s original machine. ,

There were 18 pupils undergoing instruction at Alilson, and they will now be able to resume at the end of the week.

As Squadron-Leader AlcGregor, who was seriously injured in the recent crash, is likely to l>e incapacitated lor some time, the club have appointed Captain Lett temporary iiistrumtor, and he will arrive here from Gisborne on Saturday. Captain Lett, who is also a war pilot has been pilot for the Gisborne Airways, flying on the commercial aero service from Hastings to Gisborne, as well as instructing for the Hawke’s Bay Club in training the Gisborne pupils. Captain Lett has several thousand hours’ flying experience and is well known to all the local pupils. The club has had a serious setback in the unfortunate recent crash, and I the timely help of Air Cobbe is much iappreciated. The matter of repairs to the damaged machine, ABA. is in the hands of a special committee who are getting quotations for its repair. During the past year the value of Afilson Aerodrome to the district can he gauged by the fact that 153 visit-! ing aeroplanes arrived there. The Alanawatu Aero Club have been in communication with the organisers of the Southern Cross visit. This big ’plane can be handled at Alilson aerodrome and the dub members are looking forward to giving Air Commodore Sir Charles Kingsford Smith a fitting welcome to this city when he arrives.