Help - Mill's Aerial Survey

[Dave Homewood]

I have just come across in the excellent book "The History of New Zealand Aviation" by Ross Ewing and Ross Macpherson that in May 1929 the first ever civil aerial survey in NZ was conducted by Mr. F. Douglas Mill of Mill's Aerial Survey and Transport Company.

Mill apparently used the country's first DH60 Gipsy Moth - ZK-AAD - to conduct "an aerial survey of an area bounded by Edgecombe, Tarawera, Rotorua and Cambridge in May 1929 - the first civil aerial survey photography".

I am VERY keen to try to track down copies of the Cambridge aeriel photos if they still exist. has anyone got any idea if the negatives still exist, or if prints are kept in any National archive or university?

I have googled and also checked Archway on Archives New Zealand's site, with no result.

Any clues or suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.

[corsair67]

Hi Dave,

Have you tried looking on the National Library's website (http://www.natlib.govt.nz/)? I have found that the "Timeframes" section of the digital collection is usually quite good, and in fact has some great aircraft photos in it.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks, I'll take a look