Rendel, David:

Civil Aviation in New Zealand

Published by Reed, Wellington 1975

Hard Cover. Book Condition: very good. Dust Jacket Condition: good. Photos. Maps. Tables. 1st edition, 188 pages.

Civil aviation in NZ started initially with hot air baloons, but by 1910 heavier than air flights were being made. Before WWI a number of different machines had flown in NZ. The author covers the years of the first trans-Tasman and trans-Pacific flights along with visits by Australia's Kingsford Smith in his Southern Cross tri-motor aircraft doing much to advance aviation. The book then follows the growth of the Aero Club movement and the establishment of a number of small airline services. In the late 1930s the formation of Union Airways provided NZ with a fledgling internal airline service using modern aircraft. In 1945 the nationalised air line NAC (New Zealand National Airways Corporation) was established as a State monopoly while international flights were operated by TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) a three-way venture with Australia, NZ and Great Britain. In 1961 TEAL became fully NZ owned as Air New Zealand, and eventually (but outside the orbit of this book) NAC was absorbed into the Air New Zealand fold.

The first 11 chapters of the book are devoted to the historical aspects of civil aircraft operations up to 1973. Pages 137 to 183 contain nine appendicies , including a chronology of events and an extensive listing of aircraft registration letters, these are followed by a bibliography and index.