1925 DEPARTMENT OF LANDS AND FORESTS 97 



All flying in the Provincial Air Service to be according to Air Regulations 

 1920, and so, in accordance, all pilots and air engineers were instructed to comply 

 strictly to rules and regulations of the R.C.A.F. 



Six machines were allotted to each division and this was increased to seven 

 later on in the season when two additional machines were purchased in the 

 States, assembled at Sudbury operating base and put into service. 



The duty of the Provincial Air Service was to have machines ready for 

 patrol at all times, to supply the flying when and where requested. 



The desire of the Provincial Air Service was to serve co-operatively with the 

 ground forces as a detection and supervisory force. 



Gas and oil was shipped in April to the various bases and sub-bases in the 

 Province. Field shops were erected at Ramsay Lake, eastern headquarters, and 

 at Pellican Lake, western headquarters. Proper tools were installed at these 

 depots for the overhaul, assembly and test of engines. Spares were placed in 

 stores for maintenance and replacements of machines and engines. After eighty 

 hours flying, engines were overhauled. A shop foreman was placed in charge of 

 ground engineers and under his practical supervision, all overhaul, repair and 

 test was taken care of. 



Late delivery of machines interrupted the operating schedule in May. It 

 was not until June that the service was at full strength in each division. 



Classification of flying operation is as follows: Fire patrol, fire-fighting, 

 suppression; sketching, photography, instruction, tests, cross-country, remote 

 transportation, special flights. 



Forced landings, thirty-three in number, were attributed to light gear 

 trouble, faulty valves, leaky cylinders and other mechanical break-downs, 

 necessitating landings, the repairs of which did not permit completion of patrol 

 within schedule time limits. 



Worthy of mention is the fact that 899 patrols were requisitioned; of this 

 number, 866 were completed on schedule time and without incident, which 

 shows a machine efficiency of 96.329 per cent. 



The total number of hours flown was 2,597. 



Due to the fact that operations in the east commenced in April, and that 

 all instruction, wireless and other test flights were carried out there, the eastern 

 division shows 400 hours more flying than in the west. 



Exclusive of landings participated in for instructional and test purposes, 

 machines of the service made 1,325 landings during the operating season. In 

 view of the fact that fifty per cent, of these landings were made in uncharted 

 waters, it is worthy of mention to note the small number of cases of hull damage. 

 The greater damage in this connection could in no way be attributed to improper 

 handling by air service personnel. 



1. Careless salvage of damaged hull, Toronto Bay. 



2. Two machines torn away from mooring severe gale Nipigon lake. 



3. The remainder of minor importance with practically nil replacement 

 requirements. 



As requisitions for fire patrol predominate the majority of flying was done 

 in this connection. 



Fires detected from the air — 597. 



Hours flown — 1,505 hours and 03 minutes. 



Area covered — 2,865,608 square miles or 1,833,989,120 acres. 



4 L.F. 



