WINTER FLYING.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 261, 4 November 1929, Page 7

WINTER FLYING.

:\ HAZARDS IN CANADA. i Eielson,. Famous Pilot, Long Overdue. OTHEE AVIATION TEAGEDIES. ) (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) 'Received 12 noon.) VANCOUVER. November 3. The hazardous nature of winter > aeroplanine in Canada's frozen north [Ivras illustrated by a dramatic fatality r at Mayo, on the southern edge of the ! Canadian Klondike, about the same . hour as the news came through of t the disappearance of two Alaskan airways ''planes, piloted by Lieutenant Eielson, the famous companion of Sir Hubert Wilkins, and Frank Der- '. bandt. The ''plane was taking off along the , bank of Stewart River on an iced runl way and rose only a few feet when it I suddenly fell. the pilot, Patterson, who had not the slightest chance of extricating himself,, was drowned when ' the '"plane sank beneath the ice. Several 'planes have been operating between Mayo and Skagway, accomplishing in five" hours trips which occupy I weeks for dog teams. i Eielson and Derbandt are long over--3 due from Nome, Alaska, to East Cape, J { Siberia, where they were expected to ! pick up six passengers and a valuable fur carno. It is feared that heavy i snow storms have forced the 'planes j J down. 6 A party is still missing in Hudson's t Bay country. Two -"planes with a milI Horiaire and mining men 8 appeared eight weeks ago into the frozen | 8 ! north and a search has been made by ! 1 i 'planes, which have flown 100,000 miles, > j but not the slightest , sign of them has I 8 ! been seen. e The supposition is that the 'planes I landed in some remote lake and that r i they are frozen solid and unable to j g I move. The fivers probably have already starved to death. 4 NIGHT TRIAL. eJRIOI Makes First Cruise In: h Darkness. t : a DIEIGIBLE SALUTES KING, j el *j (Received 10.35 a.m.) " LONDON, November 3. ] Brilliantly illuminated by a search- \ light on the mooring tower, the RlOl j cast off at S p.m. for her first night j cruise. She passed over London at 101 p.m. but drizzling rain rendered her j '•almost invisible. "She then headed for Portsmouth to carry out speed and turning trials in the vicinity of the Isle i of Wight, returning to Bedford at 6 \ this morning. r j The airship RlOl made another sue- j ■ r jcessful trial flight on Friday. She left j i- ; the mooring mast at Cardington just ! e : before 10 aTm. Sir Samuel Hoare, the j .s j former Secretary of State for Air, was j e one of the passengers. 0 After circling for about ten minutes *■ over Bedford,' the airship made for 0 Sandrinsham. where she dipped grace- j ' l ~ ! fully to" within 400 ft from the ground. II j King George, Queen Mary and their i 6 jgrand-daaghter, Princess Elizabeth, were i lt ion the terrace. The crew waved to j *•: them, and the King raised his hat in | ni reply. The little Princess clapped her ;- j hands in delight. n ; Then the airship flaw via Cromer and 7 i Norwich to Newmarket Heath, where • e .! racing was in progress. She circled >r * i over "the racecourse, and then proceeded >x i to Cambridge. I It had been intended to visit London, [but owing to fog the airship returned i from Cambridge to Cardington. and was t ; back at the mooring mast soon after '• i three o'clock. The highest air speed reached during the flight was about 70 ,| miles an hour. November 15 is mentioned as the date j on which the sister airship RIOO is i likely to leave Howden, in Yorkshire, on her trial trip.

MAMMOTH BOMBER.

HUGE ITALIAN 'PLANE. (Receiveil 1.30 p.m.l MILAN. November 3. ; I A mammoth bomber, carrying six Asso ' i engines, each of 1000 horse-power, and • capable of carrying 7* tons of bombs, • was successfully tried out. It is stated 1 that the : p'uine" is the largest and most 1 powerful machine of its type in the world. She is 33ft high. Soft long, and • has a wingspread of 145 ft. Fully loaded t she weighs 15 tons and has a speed of = 130 miles an hour. 7