New Zealand Airmen in WWI

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Errol.

[Dave Homewood]

Here is an article on WWI pilot Tiny White's flying career. From the New Zealand Herald dated the 17th of March 1939.

23 YEARS A PILOT

6500 HOURS' FLYING

SQUADRON-LEADER WHITE

RETIREMENT FROM SERVICE

DAYS WITH KINGSFORD SMITH

[By telegraph—own correspondent] NAPIER. Thursday

A career of 23 years as a pilot, during which he has spent 6500 hours in the air, will be brought to a close by Squadron-Leader Trevor W. White, when he accomplishes the Napier-Gisborne flight for Union Airways tomorrow evening. Squadron-Leader "White will retire from commercial flying after to-morrow.

Regarded as one of the most capable and cautious pilots in the Dominion, it was only recently that Squadron-Leader White was presented with an efficiency medal by Lord Galway. An old type of machine of the kind used in 1916 gave him his first experience of flying. Two years later, when he was engaged in active war service, he was shot down from a height of 18,000 ft. He landed in enemy territory and was a prisoner of war, his release following the armistice.

During his time in the air, Squadron-Leader White, who is a New Zealander by birth, was closely associated with Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, and for 17 months they plied the Sydney-Newcastle service together, making three return trips daily in twin-engined machines. He was selected by Sir Charles to pilot a machine across the Tasman in 1934, but for certain reasons the flight was not made. He had been selected as chief pilot had Sir Charles' plans for the flotation of a company to operate aerial services in New Zealand been successfully financed.

Many of Squadron-Leader White's flying hours were recorded in control of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith's Percival Gull machine, and he also looks back with pleasure on a considerable time spent in the Southern Cross. His flying activities in Australia went beyond more or less monotonous service flights. He recalls having flown into Central Australia on a geophysical survey and had other interesting experiences on several special trips to other parts of the Commonwealth from Sydney.

Squadron-Leader White carried out most of the early air surveys in the South Island. In this connection he mapped out routes on the West Coast and also in Central Otago. In 1935 he joined East Coast Airways, which plied between Napier and Gisborne, and with the absorption of that company by Union Airways he continued with the new controllers.