TAKE-OFF CRASH.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 182, 4 August 1930, Page 7

TAKE-OFF CRASH.

WORLD FLIGHT PLAN.

'plane Wrecked on Harbour

Grace Runway.

ATTEMPT TO BEAT ZEPP.

(United P.A.-Electric Telegraph-Copyright)

(Received 9.30 a.m.) NEW YORK, August 3. Mr. John Henry Mears, famed as a globe-trotter, had ill-luck almost at the outset of an endeavour to regain the round-the-world record taken from him by the Graf Zeppelin. jlr. Hears left the Eoosevelt field vesterday for Harbour Grace. Newfoundland, in a Lockhead-Vega monopiano with Captain H. J. Brown, formerly an air-mail pilot, at the controls. A Sealyliam terrier was taken ■ on the trip.

The monoplane landed at Harbour Grace in the afternoon.

The flyers attempted to take off early this morning for Baldonnel, Ireland, but the monoplane was completely destroyed through a crash caused by a tyre exploding as the machine sped down the runway.

Neither Hears nor Brown was injured. Mn Hears made record round-the-world flights in 1913 and 1928, and had hoped on this occasion to make the circuit in 20 days. The Graf Zeppelin's record is 21 days 7 hours 32 minutes. The route mapped eut by Mr. ■ Mears arid his companion was via Dublin, Berlin, Moscow, Nova Sibrak, Chita, Khabarovsk, Chignik, across the Behring Sea and North Pacific to Seattle, Chicago and New York.. The monoplane, which is called the City of New York, was equipped with a 425 horse-power Wasp motor and had a, flying range of 18 hours, or 2500 miles, and a cruising speed 'of 150 miles an hour.

In 1913 Mr. Meara made a circuit of the glebe in 36 daj'B—a record—when he used a hydroplane to cross Puget Sound, Bntuh Columbia. Again in 1928 he' and Captain Charles Collyer took their own aeroplane round the world, taking 23 days for the circuit, although they only used the Wane for eight flying days. 'Mr. Mears, a New York airman, is a capable pilot, and also an experienced wireless operator.