FLYING THROUGH SPACE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 58, 8 March 1913, Page 9

FLYING THROUGH SPACE.

■ m . AUSTRALIAN AVIATOR IX AUCKLAND. SEVERAL TRIPS WITH HART. "There arc more people killed on the .Swiss Alps every year than at aeroplaning the world over." Such was the statement made by Mr F. E. Sandford, a young Australian airman, who is at present in Auckland, as he talked lightheartedly of the science of aeroplaning to a "Star" representative to-day. Mr Sandfon'. is well qualified to speak on the subject, for he has made several ilights with Mr W. E. Hart, the wellknown New South Wales aviator, who has done no (lying since a bad smash-up last September, through the stoppage of his engine. The accident has put Hart out of action for the time being, his injuries consisting of a fractured skull and fractures to both legs. Mr Sandford, who did most of the designing of Mr Hart's two machines, was on the scene of the disaster, and helped to extricate Hart from the wreckage of his machine. The aviator spoke enthusiastically of the fascination of aviation, aud remarked that no less than ten Australhui citizens had obtained their pilot's certificates. That there were financial possibilities in the art he felt certain. In the first place, money could be made in carrying passengers, because there were large numbers of people who would be only too glad to experience the delights of i»n aeroplane trip. Secondly, aeroplaning could not fail to attract large crowds of spectators in this Dominion, where the art was practically unknown.

The rules governing the awarding of pilots' certificates in the Commonwealth, Mr Sandford explained, were the rules of the French Aeronautic Club, which had been standardised all over the globe. Part of the test was to fly a figure 8 course ten times, as, if an aviator could successfully negotiate such a feat successfully, it could be relied upon that he was fully competent to take eoutrol of a machine. France, continued Mr Sandford, easily led the world as far as aviation was concerned. In that country there were something like I,ooo.qualified pilots, as against 400 in England. The world's duration record had been won by a Frenchman, who remained continuously in the air for fifteen hours, during which time he covered seven hundred rniiae. The holder of the English duration record was an Aus'tf.aJiaii. who -had severed his connection with mother earth for, a period of eight and a-half hours.

"One gets quite art erroneous idea from reading the newspapers as to the mortal;' ity among flying men," remarked .Sir Sandford. '"The ' technical magazines show what great strides have been.made in aviation, and what wonderful performances are accomplished almost daily. ' In spite of the fact that thousands of flights were carried out during the course of last year, the fatalities in England for that period were only 25, which is a very small percentage. The reason why America heads the mortality list is that a lot of spectacular, or 'show' flying is done there. It takes a lot to .persuade a crowd of ten or more thousand people that there is danger in flying in a high wind, and many au ftviator has been sent to his death in this way. Naturally, the companies that promote these meetings are not desirous of disappointing the public and losing money."

Speaking of the fatality to Qeoffrey England, whose death while monoplaning at Stonehenge the cables of the day before had announced, Mr Sandford said that Prince Cantacouzens, who had 'insisted upon the flight being made, was the holder of a pilot's certificate, and probably did not think the wind was sufficiently strong to be dangerous.' The Bristol machine, on which England had made his last fatal "flight, was a very* reliable make, which had successfully cambated a 44-mile-an-hour gale. Mr Sandford has inspected both the hydro aeroplane belonging to an Auckland resident and "the aeroplane on the Avondale racecourse, and was sanguine of their ultimate success. Unfortunately the engine of the former had come to grief, and would have to be repaired, but in all probability a successful flight would be made ty the machine at Avondale in the course of a day or two.