BRITANNIA MONOPLANE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 16, 19 January 1914, Page 6

BRITANNIA MONOPLANE.

FIRST FLIGHT IN DOMINIOH. MR. HAMMOND TRIES HER WISGS. . AX HOTjE Etf THE SKY. The Bleriot monoplane Britannia, which was presented to the New Zealand Defence (Department iaet year and arrived sri Wellington last September, made its first flight emce arriving in the Dominion on Saturday aftenwjou, under the skilful pilotage of Lieutenant J. J. Hammond of tfie IRoyei Flying Corps. Tims flying machine hae spent nioet of its time eiiice arrival in the hangar constructed for it in the ■WeHmgton defence grounds a previous test flight 'being Tendered amposeifrle owing to the non-arrival of an essential part erf the propeffing apparatus. About a. nraruth ago the monoplanii was repacked and-eent ±o Auckland for exhibition <ifuring|'fJhe miStary tournament, and it 'has since repoeedi in the temporary quarters erected Sm it in the Cdinpibell chow grounds. The -mdeedng part coming to hand laet woelk, it -was decided to afford the Auckland public an opportunity of "wrfcneEsing a flight by the monoplane 011 Anniversary Day, and Mr. Hammond proceeded to put the finishing touches prior to testing the Britannia on the wing. The machine has, of course, atresdy demonstrates!' its facility in the air, having made a ero66~chamrel flight, while on' one occasion Sir Joseph Ward, .while at Home, •went altrft in it as a passenger. But packing aaftl re-paeJring with instruments of such drficate warkmanshlrp as monoplanes necessitates a great deal of careful testing, accompanied by a sufficient spice of hasard' to ■dfeter any save an experienced aerial navigator before it can be piuuuimced all well and shipehape. A FRELBHNABY FLIGHT. On Saturday afternoon the Britannia, the complete readyustmenit of -which bad been, rendered the more difficult from ■the fact that no spare parts were riKpped with Aer, was declared: ready for flight, and l Mr. Hammond' decidted to give iher a prelimdnaTy spin. After awaiting vainly for a eamowhot adverse breeze to change ite mind, the a.vlator resoirved to accept the existing conditions and go up. The engine was tuned up, Hammond cKmfoed into the pHwtß seat, and at a word <the machine -was released, and after a short ran lifted lightly from the ground' and , , amid the heavy drone of ifa puwerXul 80 hjp. Girome engine, combined with the noise like a young cyclone which came from the big propeller as it ea-ng lihTangh the atmesphere 1,250 revolutions to the mUmite, coaTed skyiwards and circled 'high up several times, now driving, then mounting again, sweeping hither and thither in long and short curves, and l swinging round oeeaedojially at hair-lifting angies, the pilot amply demonstrated hie confidence and expertHE6B, and to .the groundsman's ey«B everything eeenred to be working perfectly. But the pilot, on alighting, declared that the plane controls were warped , , and that he had been obliged* to depend poJely on tihe rudder and elevator plaaree. AjN t HOUR IN THE AIR. •Another and longer flight was made yesterday nioraing, when the, aviator spent jreariy an'i-our'in the aiT.' r dn,tiiifi occasion he rose at t'inres to a 'height of 2,000" feet, at others flying comparatively low, and practically flew all over the eastern part cif if he city and' suburbs, proceeding ac far as the Pyranrus, lying at the Calliope 'Derek ■wbar.f. Tie insistent JwharTdng , no'itse' ais the machine pasced overhead turned the gaze of thousands to iihe eky, and , the bird-like grace and ease 'with which i'he monoplane swept along and- went through the cv-ohitione demanded , of her pilot sprung desire in many an Auckland heart to lbewme an airman. On one occasion the nu'viga.feor banked her up in cirelin«r till she appeared to be standing on her wing-tips, while generally the fligiht served to whet all appetites keenly for the exhibition ■performance to be given in the afternoon of Anniversary Day. The highest epeed estimated by Mr. Hamttnond in the course of hie flight was 80 miles an hour, which is an easy travelling record for New ZeaSamd. Before essaying a»otiher flight Mt. Haimmiond intends to have the wing controls renewed.