A Licence prewar - help

[Dave Homewood]

Can anyone please supply a date for me that Dereck "Bill" Kain gained his pilot's 'A Licence' at Wigram?

It was well prewar - at the time there were grebes at Wigram, and he was instructed first by Tiny White at Timaru in a Spartan, but on the third flight the crankshaft broke, so he had to go to Wigram and get further instruction from Ron Stoke (?) and Bert Mercer on Gipsy Moths.

He was then tested by a Squadron Leader, I think the name he says on the tape is Sqn Ldr Brindley. Does this ring any bells?

I'd like to find the date of his licence, and also confirm if the instructor was a Ron Stoke and the testing officer was Sqn ldr Brindley or perhaps Brindling?

I am dictating from a really poor quality tape my mate made when he interviewed Wg Comm Kain in the mid 1990's.

Any ideas?

[Dave Homewood]

Further to this, how old did one have to be to get a licence then. Was it 16?

[Dave Homewood]

Bump - was the age limit 16 to get a pilot's licence? If so, Kain must have gotten his in October 1931.

Any ideas? Please?

[Dave Homewood]

Also, he received a licence called "Certificates Of Qualification as First Pilot" - was this to enable him to carry passengers, such as like a Commercial Licence now? He'd have been 17 and a 1/2 at the time.

[corsair67]

Dave, is there anything about this in the History of New Zealand Aviation?

[Dave Homewood]

Not that I can find. I have had a look but no joy.

[Peter Lewis]

All I know is the the 'A' licence was PPL, the 'B' licence CPL. No ATPL, multi-engine or type ratings around in those days. Johnny Neave in the late 1930s was the first resident Kiwi to get an instrument rating. He had to travel to the UK to get it.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Peter, that "Certificates Of Qualification as First Pilot" which I have a photocopy of must be the B Licence, as this was issued in May 1933. His A Licence was issued on his birthday which was in October. He passed his test whilst too young and they made him wait four or five days to get his licence when he turned (whatever age the limit was).