SOLO FLIGHT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 153, 10 April 1933, Page 5

SOLO FLIGHT

BRITAIN TO AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND WOMAN STARTS. HER DEPARTURE FROM LYMPNE MAY FLY AT NICiHT TIME. AIR SERVICE IN DOMINION. (Uaited Press Association—Copyright). (Received This Day, 9.15 a.m.) LONDON, April 9. Flying a Gipsy Moth 'plane formerly the property of the Prince of Wales, and which she now partly owns, Miss Jean Batten, aged 23, an Aucklander, left Lympne this morning on a solo flight to Australia. Her mother and a few members of the London Flying School watched her make a perfect start. She expects to reach Rome this evening, thereafter flying 1000 miles daily, even beating Mrs Mollison's time. She may fly at night under favourable conditions. Miss Batten previously said that she is not out to break records, but hopes to arrive in a fortnight. She spent months on secret preparations and is confident she will win through. She says she will not fly from Australia, to New Zealand. The 'plane is fitted with long-range tanks and has a cruising speed of 100 miles an hour. It can remain in the air for 14 hours. Miss Batten arrived in England in 1929", and has now flown for 130 hours, and is one of the few women in possession of a license enabling commercial flying. She hopes to engage in air-taxi work in New Zealand. Miss Jean Batten is a sister of Mr John Batten, the Aucklander, who has won success as a film star in British pictures. Miss Batten gained her "A" license in England last year. She is well known in Auckland, and is the daughter of a prominent local dentist. ARRIVAL AT NAPLES. (Received This Day, 10.35 a.m.) ROME, April 9. Miss Batten arrived at Naples, after refuelling at Rome. She will leave at dawn for Athens. NEARLY WITHOUT CIGARETTES. A LAST MINUTE SUPPLY. (Received This Day, 12.5 p.m.) LONDON, April 9. • Miss Batten, carrying her kit in a brown paper shopping bag, and wearing a fur-lined flying suit, at the last minute realised that she had no cigarettes. Friends supplied her with 50. Miss Batten said: "These will be useful if I am captured by Arabs." Somebody asked if she was taking a gnn. Miss Batten replied, "How ridiculous." Her mother remarked that she was Jean's first flying passenger. She was very proud of her, but her father opposed her flying. - . The 'plane is dark blue with silver wings. Captain Robiano's is a brilliant red. "The Sketch" described Miss Batten as defending British prestige against an Italian ace. ITALIAN! DESIRES RECORD. START ON HIS SECOND ATTEMPT. LONDON, April 8. The young Italian airman, Captain Robbiano, left Lympne at 7.20 o'clock this morning on a second attempts to break the England to Australia air record. He reached Bari, in Italy, on his first hop and will leave for Aleppo at dawn. To limit his load to 101 b over and above his supply of more than 100 gallons of petrol, he took his food tablets from their bottles, and saved every ounce of weight. Even then he took nearly a mile to take off. He says he will be content with five hours' sleep a night. He hopes his first stop will be Bari, in Italy. His machine has a speed of 150 miles an hour, compared witli the 100 miles an hour of the Moth used by Mr O. W. A. Scott, holder of the record, and a range of 1500 miles, against Mr Scotfs 1100. Captain Robbiano left Lympne on an earlier attempt on April 16, but j was forced to return by fog and nead winds.