TRANSCRIPTION:
Dear old Ed,
You will be wondering whenever I intend to write but really had not much to write on however you will be expecting this one. It seems jolly funny that by a twist of the mind I should be here, instead of in the Old Country with you. I expect though everything will turn out alright. I am very glad to hear you will not be coming back straightaway. I really must see you the best chum I have. I will give you some idea of our school here. In the first place the camp site is in the Auckland harbour as pretty a spot as [illeg.] anywhere in the harbour. We have the ferry running up to Auckland. Auckland is four miles up, every hour through the day, so we aren’t isolated. There are big buildings to store machines of which we have three machines fit for use practically. I say practically because a new machine is just about being finished in construction. A new [illeg.]machine which came from America arrived last Monday we have already had it flying, several people have been up in it. Why we havent been up yet in it is because these people financed the money to enable us to have a late machine to learn on & of course it was the least we cd. [could] do to let them have a fly while we had none; but today was the last of that kind of civility, so we get to it in earnest this coming week. The new machine is very fine and fitted with a hundred horse-powered engine, which is a beauty it purrs along very nicely. I have had a few flights in the other machine that we had but this new one is almost double the h.p. [horse power] of course the sensation will be exactly alike.
To be in the air flying is a decent sensation exhilarating and the only way to explain the rest of the sensations is to have a fly to. If you ed. Come up in the machine too at home it wd. [would] be a practical explanation eh!! In our spare time we learn signalling Morse & semaphone really our own idea to enable us to do better when we have to, which is so when we arrive Home. It is a bit slow at first of course, but I’m gradually catching on to it. We expect to have our pilot’s certificates at the end of June so you can reckon on me being with you say the end of August. The principals here are confident that we can get out in June but that of course remains to be seen for the weather may be against us although most of the time it has been perfect that’s two months since the date I came here at first. Poor Reg was anxious to see you but there isnt at present much [illeg.] of meeting though stranger things that that have happened who knows but wat we [illeg.] all of us three out there! You must keep Reg posted up with letters – I will get as many snaps as I can packed with this letter which give light on our way of living. It is gratifying that you are always successful with any examinations you put your mind on.
Au Revoir
Your loving brother
Bubs XX