Air Tourism in South Pacific

South Pacific

f appears from a recent survey, I that Sir Gordon Taylor will inch his Pacific air-tour programme s tourist season, but that there aid be more delays in South Pacific dines’ plans for their projected molulu-Tahiti service. sir Gordon Taylor—still better awn as Captain P. G. Taylor— le a progress report on his air [ise plans in January. His Ber ida flying boat, which is under ng certain modifications to com ■ with Australian technical re rernents, has been named Frigate d 111, (Frigate Bird I was a balina in which the then Cap a Taylor made a war-time sur ’ flight from the US to Australia [ Clipperton, Bora Bora and er islands; and Frigate Bird II 5 another Catalina in which a urn survey flight was made to ith America via TEAL Coral ite ports, Mangareva, and Easter md). ir Gordon said that his present n is to make Summer flights n Tasmania to southern New land, up through New Zealand,

and back to Syd ney via Lord Howe Island; and Winter flights to various Island Groups. Passeng ers—up to 35 can be carried—w ill book from Syd ney on a round trip basis. Main-

Sir Gordon Taylor’s Bermuda flying-boat now being prepared for tourist flights to the Islands; and, below, South Pacific Airlines’ Solent VH-TOD, still lying at Rose Bay, Sydney, with motors and tail plane dismantled.

tenance of the aircraft is in the hands of Ansett Airways. Passenger agents will be announced in due course.

It is expected that one flight will be made to New Zealand this Autumn. Island plans will be an nounced later,

South Pacific Airlines

From information received from Honolulu in January, earlier news paper reports of South Pacific Air lines’ intention to commence its weekly Tahiti-Hawaii service in April appear unduly optimistic.

Most exhaustive tests of the Solent aircraft for an American CAA Type Certificate were then still proceed ing. Failure to meet performance requirements in any of these many systematic tests could cause further delay. Meanwhile, it is believed that nothing will be done about providing the radio, fuelling, and possibly meteorological facilities on Christmas Island until it is quite certain that the Solent is going to qualify for certification.

Until then, too, the other Solent which has been up on the beach at Rose Bay, Sydney, for the past 18 months, is unlikely to be taken to Honolulu.

This Dollar-backed airline has as its President Mr. S. Van Burkleo, of Honolulu, with Captain Brian Monkton, of Sydney, as Vice-Pre sident and Operations Manager. It

was through Captain Monkton’s in fluence that this airline was formed.

Exceptionally high tides, accentu ated by the recent near-hurricane in south-eastern Viti Levu, recently caused flooding of low-lying parts of the road between Suva and Navua. Motorists returning to Suva

from Navua and Deuba often to travel through water at floor-board level.

A member of the RNZAF static at Lauthala Bay, Fiji, was accidc ally electrocuted while carrying maintenance work on a radio trs mitter on January 19. He was .

G. W. A. Paltridge.