CO129-539-11 Hong Kong Flying Club- proposed establishment of a Flying Training school at Kai Tak 8-4-1932 - 4-3-1933 — Page 62

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7. That your Petitioner has as appears hereafter in this Petition made numerous applications to your Excellency's Government to establish a Flying Training School in the Colony of Hong Kong and humbly submits that for the following reasons there is a real necessity for a Flying Training School in the

Colony of Hong Kong :--

(a) In this present day and age practically every country in the world.

has become "Air conscious." During the past few years commercial

aviation has extended tremendously,-Airways have come into being

in many parts of the world and are providing fast, safe, dependable and regular transportation for passengers and mails between widely

separated points. While aviation development in China has perhaps

lagged behind that in other countries, a very definite development is

slowly but surely taking place and during the past few years a very

considerable amount of Chinese capital has been invested in aircraft.

(b) There are today comparatively few trained pilots in China and before aviation business in general can expand to any great extent,

pilots and ground engineers must be trained.

Pilots and engineers trained in an American school when graduated and returned to their native country will favour the

purchase and operation of American equipment, likewise students

trained in a German school will favour the purchase of German equipment. In this way, if British manufacturers are to obtain their

fair share of the aviation business in China, British schools must

train Chinese pilots and engineers.

In this connection American manufacturers have a great advant-

age over British manufacturers owing to the geographical position

of the United States which can be inexpensively reached in a

comparatively short time by direct steamship lines from Chinese Ports.

A number of students are in training in the United States at the

present time while comparatively few are able to afford the long sea trip to the British Isles.

In this way it becomes imperative in the interests of British trade

that facilities be created which will enable Chinese students to obtain

British training at as low a cost as is consistent with efficiency.

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