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Aviation History
1927
1927 - 0310.PDF
over the galleryite—a better look at the show, for the Asso- ciate Member can only fly on certain days. No doubt the former will get a better badge for his money. This system, inconsistent as it may seem, will probably cater for the two classes of club members that undoubtedly exist, the one who is an inveterate flier and the other who only likes to fly occasionally. It will create an harmonious arrange- ment for them both, for the one wants to crowd the other out and the other wants to be crowded out. The Pilot members will pay an entrance fee of £3 3s. and a yearly subscription fee of £'3 35., and will have priority over all the other members for^flying facilities. The first fifty members enrolled have the honour of being termed as " Founder Members " with the material advantage of being exempted from paying an entrance fee. All those who wish to join must be proposed and seconded in writing by two who are already members, which will make MAY 5, 1 927 the latter very popular people. Subscriptions are paid on election, and subsequently on January 1 of each year, but it does not state, in accordance with the rules of some clubs, whether, in the event of a member joining in the course of a year, he has to pay the full yearly subscription for that yeai , and this is a point that wants to be made clear. We note that, although the full scale of entrance fees is definitely stated, there is a suggestion of the club compromising with a member, for in one clause it speaks of the payment of the entrance fee (if any), whilst in another clause it refers to the fee being fixed from time to time by the directors. But the main point is that it will cost a pupil no more to learn to fly than it would at a subsidised club. There is the promise of an interesting race between the Bristol and Norwich Clubs for the honour of being the first new very private club to commence flying. We hope they both win ! ^ 3 $ PRIVATE FLYING IN AUSTRALIAIN this field of so much aeronautical promise the light-'plane movement is progressing through the medium of subsidised clubs on similar lines to those in this country. In many of the large States there have long been sections of the Australian Aero Club, and these have been forming the light aeroplane clubs. The nature of the subsidy is in the generous form of at least two " Moths " and necessary spares. One of the most active of these sections is that of New South Wales, which is the approved club for Sydney. At its inauguration it was fortunate enough to squeeze three " Moths " on loan from the Commonwealth Government, besides spare engines, a hangar, and club-bouse at Mascot Aerodrome. A bonus of /20 is received from the Government for every pupil who gains a private pilot's licence. Instructional flying is mostly restricted to the weekdays, so that the machines can be devoted to the pleasure of ordinary members who fly as passengers on Saturdays and Sundays, when a 15-minute flight enables them to have an excellent view of Sydney and the harbour from 2,000 ft. Although the Club's scale of charges are based on the lowest possible rates, which leave no profit, nevertheless they are considerably higher than those in this country. Members who are already pilots pay an entrance fee and a yearly subscription of £3 3s. respectively, and fly solo at the rate of £1 10s. per hour as against /I here. A pupil member pays an entrance fee of /10 10s. and a yearly subscription of /3 3s., whilst his instruction flying costs him as much as i'3 10s. per hour—more than twice our rate. The ultimate difference in the cost of learning to fly there and here is more than £30, for the averaged cost there has proved to be about /45. ff a pupil passes through without causing any damage to the machines, he receives /9 9s. back when the Government grant of £"20 is made to his club. The ordinary members pay an entrance fee and yearly subscription of £1 Is. respectively. Their passenger flights cost them £3 10s. per hour, £2 for half an hour, and £l for 15 minutes—again more than twice the amounts charged by our clubs. But without first-hand knowledge of monetary values in Australia, it is, perhaps, invidious to make comparisons and indicate differences. The Sydney club employs a first-class instructor pilot who receives /500 per year besides generous bonuses, a ground engineer, and a full-time secretary. The instructor is Capt. E. W. Leggatt, M.C., who served in the R.A.F. and the R.A.A.F. Since the commencement of flying in August last year up to December the number of hours flown were 405, nine pupils gained a licence, 13 could fly solo, and 19 had been instructed. This represented 1,288 flights and 176 hours' instruction. The first nine pupils were found to have averaged under seven hours' instructional flying before going solo, under nine hours before passing for their licence, and they averaged under seven hours' solo flying before doing this. The training system includes an elementary and advanced course, but the latter is only taken by the pupil at his wish after he has got his licence. The elementary course embraces the following • Taxying and handling of engine ; demonstration of effect of controls with and without the engine ; straight flying, level flying, climbing, stalling ; gliding ' straight ; taking off into wind ; landing into wind and judging distance ; turns up to 45D ; gliding turns ; turns over 45° with and with- out engine ; elementary instruction in forced landings • solo ; spinning and recovery. The advanced course includes According to the rules of the club all members flying solo have to limit their flights to within gliding distance of the aerodrome, and they are held financially responsible for the transport of any machine back in the event of any landing beyond the aerodrome, whether it is forced or voluntary. All pupils have to attend a course of lectures on elementary aeronautical engineering at the Sydney University Extension Board, for which they pay a fee of one guinea. Exemptions from this are allowed on the consideration of the committee. No member must stunt a club machine without permission from the instructor, and at not less than a height of 1,000 ft., whilst the aerobatics allowed are looping, spinning, rolling, half-rolls, lmmclman turns, falling-leaf, Bteep dive.-?, zoom- ing and others. If a comparison is made between the conditions that prevail for entry to the Australian clubs, and those of ours it would seem that they are more conservative than we are, for whereas all we ask of an intending member is his name and address, and his nationality, they ask for details of his career from birth, and then two references to prove it. The medical examination, too, as set forth, is enough to alarm anyone far more than flying, and it seems a most necessary assurance that the club gives that failure to attain such a physical perfection will not inevitably disqualify a member who has given previous proof of his flying ability and retains that ability. At Sydney they are developing the social side of the flying club very pleasantly. They have an excellent club house with a verandah, a large room for dancing, and dressing rooms for both men and women. Afternoon teas and luncheons are available, and supper parties will be catered for ; the club having now installed a housekeeper and care- taker. A tennis court is being laid out at the rear, and also a clock-golf green, whilst there is serious talk of herbaceous borders. Whether the talk is serious because flowers are considered appropriate at an aerodrome is only one suggestion. It is pointed out that at this rate of artistic development they may reasonably expect groups of statuary, plash foun- tains and sun-dials on -what used to be one of the bleakest and most desolate civil aerodromes in the universe. We now learn from the latest issue of our contemporary Aircraft, the Australian journal, that the Sydney Club lias reduced the charge of £1 His. per hour for solo flying by 40 per cent., which makes it the more reasonable charge of 12s. per hour, but the other high rates apparently remain the same ; also nearly one thousand pounds has been collected through a general public appeal, and with this another " Moth " is to be purchased, and an assistant instructor and assistant ground engineer are to be added to the staff. '• h|s has been found necessary owing to the number of pupils waiting to be taught. They have had the distinction ot training the first lady in the Commonwealth to fly solo, is Mrs. M. Bryant. The committee has also attached importance to the necessity of every pupil member b • an elementary knowledge'of aeronautics that they decided to pay the fee of one guinea for them to atter lectures arranged by the Institution of Aeronautical Engi Australasian Branch, and to make attendance compi At the end of the course, which will consist of f< lectures, the members must sit for a simple examu and the results will have an effect on the grade of their who uch ring ave the V i • , ~ , - -WMX.,^ iuv.iuui.o aim Lilt, icauiui will lliivt: -fin eiTCCL On tllf yrauc ui !.»»>'-- climbing turns ; sideslipping ; taking off and landing across cates awarded by the Club The latter will not be i*wind ; simple aerobatics ; advanced instruction in forced landings ; and low flying (i.e., correct turns at low altitudes) Apart from the licence issued by the Government, the club also issues a certificate to the pupil graded according to his ability, such as excellent, good or pass. a Club-trained pilot who has not attended at least out of the fourteen lectures, and shown a reasonable ledge of the subject matter set in the examination, ano event of the former condition the member will have the fee of one guinea. 278 •ory. •,-teen tion, rtifi- •d to yelve
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