The New Zealand Flying School was formed in 1915, by the Walsh Brothers, Leo and Vivian, to train pilots for the

Royal Flying Corps "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colors = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = , decorations ...

. The school flew a fleet of home-built and imported

flying boats A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

from Mission Bay on

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

Waitemata Harbour Waitemata or Waitematā may refer to: * Waitematā Harbour, the primary harbour of Auckland, New Zealand * Waitematā (local board area), a local government area in Auckland, New Zealand ** Waitematā Local Board, a local board of Auckland Council, ...

, near where a sculptur

now stands to commemorate the Walsh brothers. Over 100 pilots trained at the school, most of them going on to serve in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, including ace

Keith Caldwell Air Commodore Keith Logan "Grid" Caldwell CBE, MC, DFC & Bar (16 October 1895 – 28 November 1980) was a New Zealand fighter ace of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I who also rose to the rank of Air Commodore in the Royal New Zealand ...

. The flying school was sold to the

New Zealand Government , background_color = #012169 , image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg , image_size=250px , date_established = , country = New Zealand , leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern , appointed = Governor-General , main_organ = , ...

in 1924 after struggling to survive after the end of the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

History

The flying school first began operating from a shed in

Ōrākei Ōrākei is a suburb of Auckland city, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on a peninsula five kilometres to the east of the city centre, on the shore of the Waitematā Harbour, which lies to the north, and Hobson Bay and Orakei ...

, taking the first three pupils on 2 October 1915. On 28 November 1915, the school moved to Mission Bay, and for many years operated adjacent to the

Melanesian Mission The Melanesian Mission is an Anglican missionary agency supporting the work of local Anglican churches in Melanesia. It was founded in 1849 by George Selwyn, the first Bishop of New Zealand. History Bishop Selwyn's see was focused on New Zealand. ...

. The first regular student intake was in 1916. Between 1915 and when the school closed in September 1924, over 1,000 pilots had been trained.

Aircraft

Avro 504 The Avro 504 was a First World War biplane aircraft made by the Avro aircraft company and under licence by others. Production during the war totalled 8,970 and continued for almost 20 years, making it the most-produced aircraft of any kind tha ...

K & L *

Boeing Model 1 The Boeing Model 1, also known as the B & W Seaplane, was a United States single-engine biplane seaplane aircraft. It was the first Boeing product and carried the initials of its designers, William Boeing and Lt. Conrad Westervelt USN. Design ...

- 2 planes acquired in 1919; first product for Boeing *

Curtiss Model F The Curtiss Models F made up a family of early flying boats developed in the United States in the years leading up to World War I. Widely produced, Model Fs saw service with the United States Navy under the designations C-2 through C-5, later r ...

Airco DH.6 The Airco DH.6 was a British military Trainer (aircraft), trainer biplane used by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. Known by various nicknames, including the "Clutching hand" and "Skyhook", many survived to be used as a civil ligh ...

- one example, damaged by gale August 1920 and not repaired *

Supermarine Channel I The Supermarine Channel (originally the Supermarine Channel Type) was a modified version of the AD Flying Boat, purchased by Supermarine from the British Air Ministry and modified for the civil market with the intention of beginning regular ai ...

Walsh Brothers Flying Boats The Walsh Brothers Flying Boats were aircraft that were used during World War I to provide training to pilots in New Zealand prior to their enlistment into the Royal Flying Corps. Walsh brothers Brothers Leo and Vivian Walsh built a Howard Wrig ...

On film

A 1993 documentary ''

Wings on the Waitemata A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

'

includes historical footage of the Walsh brothers' flying school.

References

Includes good photographs

1966 Encyclopedia entry
* http://uneli.unitec.ac.nz/our_auckland/kohi/flight%20school.htm * http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/Walsh%20Bros%20Avro.htm * http://www.raes.org.nz/index.cfm/NZAT/Vivian_and_Leo_Walsh * http://www.teara.govt.nz/EarthSeaAndSky/SeaAndAirTransport/Aviation/3/en * http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=3W3 * http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/NewsHistory/aviators.php?walsh {{coord missing, New Zealand Aviation in New Zealand Transport buildings and structures in the Auckland Region Waitematā Harbour

History

Aircraft

On film

See also

References