CATERPILLAR CLUB

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 117, 27 February 1935, Page 3

CATERPILLAR CLUB

A NEW ZEALAND MEMBER. AIRMAN'S CRASH IN THE WILDS. Neither riches nor social standing is of any use in gaining admittance to the most select club in the world—the Caterpillar Club, which is made up of the comparatively few people who have had to leave an aeroplane by parachute to save their lives. One of the few New Zealanders belonging to the club - is Flying-Officer W, D. pennehy, of Wellington, who is at present on leave from the Royal Ah- Force. How he gained his rare distinction is a story worthy of any movie thriller, says the "Evening Post." Piloting an Avio 'Lynx biplane from Ramleh, Palestine, where he is stationed, to Ma'an with another R.A.F. man and mails, he was at 4100 feet over rough wadi country when he noticed an irregularity in the engine note and dashboard commenced to vibrate violently. Revolutions dropped and the engine seemed to be tearing itself away from the fuselage. Opening the throttle resulted in a loud clattering noise from the engine, but there was no forward thrust and the aeroplane lost height rapidly. Forced Landing Impossible. Flying-Officer Dennehy glided down to about 2000 feet where an Inspection of the ridged and hilly country below convinced him that a forced landing would be impossible. He ordered his passenger to leap, and 'the man went over the port side and reached earth safely. By the time the, pilot was ready to "abandon ship" he was only about 500 feet above the ground, and his difficulties were increased by the fact that the wings had shaken loose and were sliding backwards along the fuselage. He was able to; jump backwards from the starboard) lower plane, but in landing fell heavily on a slope, receiving injuries which later necessitated a two months' stay in the R.A.F. hospital at Sarafand. At the time, however, he left his companion with the completely wrecked machine and walked to a police post which he reached about seven hours after the crash:. That was on June 18 last. Unusual Cause of Crash. Flying-Officer Dennehy said that the accident from a most unusual cause. A connecting rod broke in the Lynx radial engine, and carried away a cylinder from the crankcase. The rod then damaged the next cylinder, and the destruction continued round the circle, until a great many of the cylinders and connecting rods were involved. With the good cylinders running, vibration did the rest. The distinctive badge of the club, a beautifully-fashioned golden caterpillar, with two bright ruby eyes, is worn by Flying-Officer Dennehy as a tiepm. His comrade in the crash, he said, also >rot one, from the Irving Air 'Chute Company of Great Britain, parachute manufacturers and organisers of the club. . That was the most serious of J lyingOfficer Dennehy's adventures. On an other occasion the machine he was piloting was forced down in the desert with a broken oil pipe and he spent three nights with it before a rescue aeroplane located him. His machine was repaired and he took off- again from a mud flat.