A documentary on the history of aviation in New Zealand.
Part 1.The programme opens with actuality of a man booking a ticket from Wellington to Auckland at the National Airways Corporation (NAC) office in Wellington's Government Life Building. An unidentified narrator describes the current New Zealand aviation scene and interviews a female N.A.C. staff member about passenger numbers. An unidentified male employee talks briefly about cargo. The narrator describes how a fleet of fifteen coaches ferries passengers from Wellington to Paraparaumu Airport. He describes the network of flight routes across the country. He interviews several unidentified passengers including an businessman who flies from Wellington to Auckland every two weeks and a woman who is flying with a baby to Auckland.
From the control tower the narrator describes the view and the role of air traffic controllers. There is actuality of pilots and air traffic communication.
From outside there is actuality with narration of a plane taking off for Auckland [Whenuapai].
Looking back forty years to the beginning of flying in New Zealand, a second narrator reads a description of how the Walsh Brothers built an early bi-plane and their sisters sewed fabric to fit the frames. He describes Vivien Walsh taking the first aircraft for test flights. On February 5th 1911 the first public demonstration was made. In March 1911 another successful demonstration of controlled flight was made by Vivian Walsh in Manurewa, however the plane was wrecked on its third flight.
The first narrator interviews Wing Commander G.L. Stedman, formerly in the New Zealand Air Force now with Civil Aviation, about flying during World War I. He started flying in January 1917, learning in Egypt at a school in Alexandria and after only three weeks training and twenty-five hours solo they were considered ready for battle. He describes his first attempt at bombing and the arms carried, including a Vickers machine gun which was supposed to be set to avoid hitting the propeller, but often was faulty and hit the propeller.
Part 2. Interview with G.L. Stedman continues. He mentions the two World War I pilot training schools in New Zealand; the Canterbury Aviation Company in Christchurch and the Walsh Brothers at Kohimarama, who trained over two hundred pilots between them. He says the first man to fly in New Zealand was Schaef and then Scotland, the Walsh Brothers and Canterbury Aviation Company. After the war he did a refresher course with the Walsh Brothers school and describes the float planes they used. George Bolt is mentioned as their pilot and chief engineer. Wigram Aerodrome was formed and became the nucleus of the R.N.Z.A.F. and after Kingsford Smith's flight, aero clubs sprang up all over the country, with Hastings and Marlborough being early ones.
The narrator then interviews Mr. Ian Keith, who in 1929 was one of the first aero club instructors at the New Plymouth Aero Club which became the Western Federated Flying Club. It covered Wanganui to New Plymouth. Mr. Keith talks about the popularity of the clubs, membership numbers, the training programme and charges. Most members averaged flying solo after six and a half hours. He describes the aircraft they flew - the De Havilland Gypsy. They look through a scrapbook of photographs of Wigram Aerodrome in 1917 and he names people in the photos as Gerry Stedman, Jim Hewitt, Noel Chandler and himself.
Mr. Keith says air pageants were headaches for instructors and accidents always happened with four or five machines usually being written-off as there was no air traffic control in those days. Long-distance flights became a popular stunt he says and he has letters and records of Charles Kingsford-Smith who used New Plymouth as his New Zealand base.
An archival recording of Kingsford-Smith is played. Kingsford-Smith speaks from the cockpit of the Southern Cross in Sydney in 1929 before he took off on his flight to England. A second archival recording of Kingsford Smith is played in which he describes his trans-Pacific flight in 1928.
John Stannage, station manager of 3ZB, Christchurch, was Kingsford-Smith's radio operator on many flights. He recalls various long-distance flights he was involved in with Kingsford-Smith. He says Kingsford-Smith had an astonishing personality and inspired hero worship in many people. He describes several trans-Tasman flights including the first attempt by Hood and Moncrieff, who were never seen again.
Part 3. Interview with John Stannage continues. He talks about the London-Christchurch Air Race planned for 1953 and compares it with earlier flights on this route. The narrator gives details of the 1934 London to Melbourne Air Race, interspersed with excerpts of an earlier programme describing the race. Two New Zealanders, McGregor and Walker came home fifth and there was jubilation in their home town of Palmerston North.
Interview with Mr. Maurice Clark, General Manager for National Airways Corporation and Mr. Lew Taylor, divisional controller of operations for Civil Aviation. Maurice Clark describes how he and Squadron Leader M.C. McGregor started a company called Air Travel and flew the first commercial scheduled aircraft services in New Zealand, between Christchurch and Dunedin, three times a week. In May 1936, an air mail service started from Palmerston North to Dunedin via Blenheim and Christchurch. Cargo was also carried. He describes other companies and routes and in 1937 his company started flying Electras to Auckland. He says Mr. Fowler of the Union Steamship Company was keen to see a network of air services and Union Airways formed. He mentions several figures who were involved in the development of early regular air services, M.C. McGregor, his partner in Air Travel; Mr. Mangham, chief engineer of Union Airways; Captain J.W. Burgess; Mr [Hautschan] of Tasman, Mr. Thompson, managing director of Cook Strait Airways; George Bolt, engineer and pilot and T.W. White chief pilot of East Coast Airways.
Part 4. Interview with Maurice Clark and Lew Taylor continues.
Lew Taylor talks about early air traffic control which began in 1943.
Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Group, Group Captain R.J. Cohen is interviewed about the Royal New Zealand Air Force (R.N.Z.A.F.) from 1923, its early growth and separation from the New Zealand Army in 1937. He talks about New Zealanders who served in World War II with the Royal Air Force and in the Pacific and the rapid developments in aviation due to World War II. Captain Le Couteur, a pilot with Tasman Empire Airways is interviewed about his career and flying Solent flying boats. He describes a typical flight.
Part Five. Interview with Captain Le Couteur continues. He talks about interaction with passengers and night-flying. The narrator compares the time difference between sea and air travel and the impact of the jet engine, 'the symbol of the approaching end of New Zealand's isolation in the Pacific'. A jet engine at Ohakea Air Base and a fly-by of a Vampire jet fighter is heard. The jet war-time plane paved the way for the jet passenger plane, the Comet. The Comet jet aircraft is described, with emphasis on the lack of vibration experienced by passengers.
Mr. R.E. Bishop, Chief Designer of the Comet talks about the design of the aircraft. Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, a pioneer of jet engines, notes their usefulness to New Zealand. John Stannage comments on the future of aviation in New Zealand. He believes all inter-continental passenger transport will be by air soon and says within ten years people will breakfast in New Zealand and be in Sydney in time for a second breakfast. The narrator says the sound on airfields in New Zealand will soon be different and ends with actuality of a jet engine.
[Music], Credit announcement: This programme was made with the assistance of Group Captain RJ Cohen, Deputy Chief of Air Staff; Wing Commander G.L. Stedman; Mr Ian Keith; Mr John Stannage; Mr Maurice Clark, former General Manager of National Airways; Mr Lou Taylor, Divisional Controller of Operations, Civil Aviation; Captain Le Couteur,Tasman Empire Airways; Sir Charles Kingsford Smith; Mr R.E. Bishop, Chief Designer of the Comet and Air Commodore, Sir Frank Whittle. The description of the Walsh Brothers early flights was from 'Wingspread' by Leo White.