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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0425.PDF
FEBRUARY 28, 1929 PR1VA7 FLYING A Section of ;FLIGHT in the Interests of the Private Owner, Owner-Pilot, and Club Member ANNUAL DINNER OF THE NORFOLK AND NORWICH AERO CLUB THE Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club held its annual dinner at Norwich on February 22, with Air Vice-Marshal Sir Sefton Brancker as principal guest. The Chairman was Captain A. A. Rice, who explained the unavoidable absence of the Hon. Lady Bailey, the Lord Mayor, Sir Edward Stracey, Captain Cator and Mr. C. R. Bignold. In the absence of Captain Cator, the toast of the " Kindred Clubs " was proposed by Mr. J. D. North, chief designer of Messrs. Boulton and Paul, Ltd., of Norwich. Mr. North expressed pleasure at seeing the representative of another club present, because he remembered how splendidly other clubs rallied round them when they held their inaugural flying meeting. They came on their machines from long distances in adverse weather, and all of them started in aeroplanes, although some of them got there in motor cars. That was a tangible sign of the good fellowship which existed between the aero clubs of this country, and he was impressed with the spirit shown at that meeting. Most of the clubs were now reaching a stable position after a difficult start. It was not for him to say whether they were reaching that position by reason of being subsidised or not. Some of them were reaching it without a subsidy. The Norfolk and Norwich Club could only congratu- late them and hoped sooner or later to follow in their footsteps. All clubs were looking forward to the day when they were going to get on a self-supporting basis. As to the scheme which was being put forward for National Flying Services, it appeared to be the subject of acrimonious debate in the House of Commons, but he thought everybody ought to take a very wide outlook in considering what National Flying Services, Ltd., proposed to do. One gentleman had told him that the shareholders were going to be philanthropists and the under- writers martyrs. Any proposal, however, that tended to increase flying facilities in this country in the future could not fail to be of benefit to the country generally. He had no doubt that a good deal of the enthusiasm, and the work put into the clubs was due to the fact that they were organ- ised on a territorial basis, an advantage he thought that would not be lost sight of. Most of them were spreading out their activities as the Norfolk and Norwich Club was, towards Yarmouth and Cromer, and forming a network through which they would come into contact with one another. The Norfolk and Norwich Club always watched with sympathetic interest aind every goodwill the progress of all other clubs in this country. Dr. Sleigh (Suffolk Light Aeroplane Club), in reply, said the chief point which Mr. North had mentioned must be in the minds of all flying clubs. People had criticised the Guest scheme in many ways. They said it could not possibly succeed and pay a dividend on the sum of money proposed to be raised. But he thought that might be left "to the able men at the head of the scheme. He would ask everyone to consider carefully before going into definite opposition to it. The Chairman, calling upon Squadron-Leader " Bert" Hink- ler to propose the next toast, spoke in complimentary terms of the historic flight Mr. Hinkler had made from England to Australia twelve months ago. The Norfolk and Norwich had reason to be interested in and proud of that flight, be- cause Mr. Hinkler had helped them to form that-club. Sqdn.-Ldr. Hinkler then proposed the toast of the Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club, remarking that it was a very happy coincidence that twelve months to that very day was a great day for him, and made him feel that the proceedings that evening were even greater than might be supposed. The club movement, he considered, was a very important factor in popularising flying. It was unfortunate that aviation was a somewhat expensive luxury but before very long it would become a necessity. * Capt. A. A. Rice, responding to the toast, said that the membership of the club had grown from 50 to 376, of whom 140 were active members and 79 had undergone instruction. Speaking of the Guest scheme, Capt. Rice said frankly that the Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club was not hostile to any scheme which promised to promote aviation. They naturally, however, felt a little anxious regarding their own position. The club had been built up by hard work. He hoped that whatever schemes were proposed by any Government would regard favourably the successful club. Capt. R. T. Harmer, who also replied to the toast, observed that the Guest scheme proposed to have aerodromes at all convenient centres, which would enable people who wanted to fly to use them as a means of transport. The fact that subsidiary aerodromes were desirable was what the Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club had considered, and they could form branch aerodromes in towns in Norfolk like Yarmouth, Cromer and King's Lynn, which, if that could be done, would very much strengthen the Norfolk and Norwich Club. The health of " The Visitors " was proposed by Capt. Dawson Paul. He said that he himself was a comparative newcomer to the world of aviation, but practical interest in aeronautics was a tradition in his family, insomuch as between 1846 and 1847 his grandfather used to venture forth with the aeronaut Greene to taste the joys of aerial travel in a free balloon. How much more easily, how much more cheaply, and with how much less risk was it now possible for us to experience the pleasure of flying by virtue of the oppor- tunities that the flying clubs afford us ! Out of the limited sums which were actually available for civil aviation, there was probably no item of expenditure for which the country had received greater value than the subsidies of light aero- plane clubs, to which had been added the support, financial and personal, both of private individuals and those who were engaged in the aircraft industry, and to this had also been added the generous assistance and practical sympathy of those interested in aviation in other parts of the country. Sir Sefton Brancker said that this was going to be a vintage year in aviation, he hoped. A leading firm of Norwich had produced an airship which, he believed, would prove well ahead of the world in respect of airship design. Mentioning the Guest scheme, he said that the air clubs had begun extraordinarily well. He believed the Norfolk and Norwich Club was third on the list in respect of membership, and altogether first on the list in respect of the number of people under instruction. The Guest scheme could not do anybody any harm. He hoped it was going to reduce the price of light aircraft, and give us man ' more places to fly in. When a club came to the end of its tether, with regard to financial assistance from the Government, it could do what it liked. There was no reason why it should join the Guest scheme. " If you find you are on a "proper financial basis, and can go on with your individuality and remain an individual unit, as the Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club is, you will have our blessing, and our hope for your prosperity in the future." He did not think anyone need worry about the scheme. Generally speaking, he" thought it would have an exhilarating effect. Sir Sefton added that he did not know whether the municipality of Norwich was considering the question of an air port, but at all events Norwich had one of the best aerodromes in the country. Mousehold would make a good aerodrome if some agreement could be come to with the War Office, the War Office being easier to come to an agree- ment with than the Air Ministry. 163
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