ON THE WAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 220, 17 September 1930, Page 7

ON THE WAY.

BY AIR TO AUSTRALIA. Matthews Plans Nine Hops of From 1500 to 2000 Miles. HINKLER'S TIME ATTACKED. (British Official Wireless.), (Received 12 noon.) RUGBY, September 16.

Captam "F. Matthews, instructor at the London Aero Club, left Croydon at dawn to-day on a solo flight to Australia in an attempt to lower Bert Hinkler's record of 15J days. Four other British airmen are preparing to attack Hinkler's record shortly. Captain Matthews, who taught Miss Amy Johnson how to fly and has himself had eight years' flying, experience, ie using a new Puss Moth eingle-seatcr cabin machine of the standard type, equipped with extra tankage enabling him to carry 100 gallons of petrol. Hβ hopes to be able to make hops of from 1500 to 2000 miles, which is longer than was possible when Hinkjer flew in a Moth machine of an earlier pattern. The aviator is without goggles, helmet, or other flying kit. Hβ carries a rifle. After reaching Sofia, he intende to continue via Aleppo, Bagdad, Bunder Abbas, Jodhpur, Calcutta, Bangkok, and Riribong, to Port Darwin.

PASSED VIENNA. EEPORT LAST EVENING. (Received 1.30 p.m.) VIENNA, September 16. Captain Matthews' passed here, flying eastward, at 6 o'clock this evening. DUAL CONTROL.' , " SMITHY'S" NEXT VENTURE. LONDON, September 9. "My big flight will be under dual control," said Wing-Commander Kingsford Smith at Australia House; but he was only referring to his forthcoming, marriage in October. "I took up flying years ago as a profession; it will be my job till I die," he added. The Australian High Commissioner (Sir Granvillc Ryrie) WingCommander Kingsford ■ Smith with the 1928 trophy awarded by tho International League of Aviators for his AustraliaNew Zealand flight. "Wβ regard him as the long-distance flyer of the world," said Sir Granville Ryrle. "He has done practically everything that can be done on this earth in the way of aviation.. Now, probably, he is looking for fresh worlds to conquer, eay, Mars or the moon." ,- A WOMAN'S HOPES. AND HINKLER'S RECORD. LONDON, September 7. "The latest weather reports of the Air Ministry caused me to decide to cut out the Australian part of iny roundworld flight," said tho Hon. Mrs. Victor Bruce.

"I hope to attempt to break Bert Hinkler's record later," she; added. On August 25 Mrs. Bruce announced that she would attempt to clip two days off Hinkler's time to Darwin. She would fly later to Japan, take a steamer across the Pacific, and fly over America to England, via Africa.

MAY GIVE UP.

NORTH PACIFIC FLIGHT. TOKYO, September 16. Lieutenant Harold Bromley and Mr. Harold Gfatty, who started on Sunday on their attempted flight to America and returned yesterday owing to fog and other unfavourable weather conditions, are' not likely to resume the flight.