The New Zealand Flying School was formed in 1915, by the Walsh Brothers, Leo and Vivian, to train pilots for the Royal Flying Corps. The school flew a fleet of home-built and imported flying boats from Mission BayonAuckland's Waitemata Harbour, near where a sculpture [1] 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, including ace Keith Caldwell.
The flying school was sold to the New Zealand Government in 1924 after struggling to survive after the end of the war.
The flying school first began operating from a shed in Ōrākei, taking the first three pupils on 2 October 1915.[1] On 28 November 1915, the school moved to Mission Bay, and for many years operated adjacent to the Melanesian Mission.[1] 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.[1]
A 1993 documentary Wings on the Waitemata [2] includes historical footage of the Walsh brothers' flying school.
36°50′53″S 174°49′50″E / 36.84817°S 174.83059°E / -36.84817; 174.83059