Scenes at Wellington Airport in Rongotai/Lyall Bay from [1933-1935] to [1937-1938]. Also includes a brief shot of Milson aerodrome, Palmerston North.
A line-up of pilots standing in front of their aircraft. Some of the planes take off over Lyall Bay. Aerial shots of Wellington - the planes land. Numbers on the planes include ZK-AEQ, ZK-AAV and ZK-AAS. (Note Moth ZK-AAS was received by the Wellington Aero Club in January 1933 and was not restored to flying condition following a forced landing in December 1935.) Airport manager Claudius William (‘Claude’) Roots at his office telephone. A man in a pilot uniform fires a pistol. Close-ups of the planes. Passengers get off a plane called Karoro, (looks very like Cook Strait Airway’s DH89 Rapide ZK AEW, “Mars” in service on inter-island flights in the late 1930s). A girl holds the luggage door open while a man unloads the luggage onto a cart. A man in a smart striped blazer pumps gas into the wing of the plane. The shiny aircraft takes off and we have a view of the cockpit and Captain as well as the scenery below. The plane lands in front of a Union Airways hangar and is towed inside. A traction engine is used to aid men shifting a hangar. Passengers board the flying boat Centaurus. (Centaurus, captained by John Burgess, visited New Zealand December 1937- January 1938 on a survey flight. It had made the world’s longest airliner flight).
A fire drill. Firemen put out a fire, one man dons a massive white blimp-like fireproof suit.
The following notes are from Colin Feldwick and Errol Martyn:
Opening shot of aircraft, including new Waco air ambulance and Gipsy Moths, on tarmac in front of the Wellington Aero Club’s hangar. Claude Roots, Wellington City Council Airport Manager in white overalls is at right of group standing in front of aircraft. Formation flypast of Gipsy Moths, quite likely during an interclub visit. Views of Avro Tri-motor Faith In Australia at Rongotai [during one of its three New Zealand visits]. Piloted by Charles Ulm. Shot of D.H. 60 Moth Major ZK-ADP, RNZAF. Hawker Tomtit from Wigram in flight. Views of Lyall Bay, Kilbirnie and adjacent areas from aitcraft. View of Miles Hawk Major ZK-AEQ being unpacked from crate. Shots of aircraft in flight. View of aircraft on tarmac. Ernle Clark’s Percival Gull ZK-AES, used on epic flight from UK. to NZ. November 1936, can be seen behind Moth ZK-AAS. Gull owned by Air Department at this time (1937-38). Shot of Miles Hawk taxiing. Airport manager Claude Roots at his office telephone.
Cook Strait Airways Captain Arthur Orchard outside office. Waco ZK-AEL. RNZAF Bristol Fighter F2B visiting from Wigram. Vickers Vildebeest Bomber from Wigram. Fairry IIIF Light Bomber from Hobsonville. RNZAF Hawker Tomtit from Wigram. Supermarine Walrus Amphibian visiting from Navy Base, Auckland. Monospar ST 25 Jubilee ZK-AET belonging to the Canterbury Aero Club (CAC), the first aero club to own a twin-engined aircraft in NZ. Also equipped as an air ambulance. Jack Busch CFI CAC can be seen climbing aboard. D.H. Dragon Rapide ZK-AEE (Cook Strait Airways). It is refueled by hand pump. Views from Rapide of Cook Strait and Marlborough Sounds. Union Airways D.H 86 Express Airliner, Korimako, ZK-AEH outside Union Airways main base hangar, Milson Aerodrome, Palmerston North. Shifting Wellington Aero Club (WAC) clubhouse 2 hangar with aid of traction engine to make room for new Department of Civil Aviation hangar at Rongotai. Views of model aircraft. Visiting Comper CLA 7 Swift ZK-ACG at Rongotai.
Passengers board the Imperial Airways Empire Flying Boat Centaurus G-AUDT, Wellington. Firefighting demonstration.