TIME BETTERED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 85, 11 April 1931, Page 9

TIME BETTERED.

SMITHY outdone. ENGLAND - AUSTRALIA. Queensland Pilot Does Trip in 9] Days. SCOTT'S WONDER FLIGHT. (United P.A -Electric Telegraph-Copyright) ; (Received 10 a.m.) DARWIN, this day. Mr. C. W. Scott, the young Queensland airman who left England on April 1 on a flight to Australia, has broken Air-Commodore Kingsford Smith's record for the journey by leveral hours. He landed at Darwin at 5.50 p.m. yesterday, local time. The airman was first noticed flying - from the north across Shoal Bay. He Janded at the aerodrome amid a scene : c f excitement, a large crowd of people cheering him enthusiastically. Many of them, had waited for him all day. Mr. Scott was cheerily greeted by old aviation acquaintances. He was very sunburnt. He was offered a whisky and soda, but said,he preferred beer. That was not available so he contented himself with s drink of sarsaparilla and a cigarette. The airman declined to grant an interview. He was entertained at a dinner by the local business people, at which jjjg toast was: "To Squadron-Leader HinilCj the man who made the first record." • j. ' Mr. Scott said he had a nice trip, save for a'bid crossing in Java. He was glad to have beaten the record, but would not try breaking it again for a million pounds. The airman said he was overjoyed to be in Australia again sale anil sound. The last stage of the flight was the worst of all. At Bima it was very wet when he left. He agreed Avith. Kingsford Smith that the job was a very hard one. He lad had little or no sleep for 10 days.

Having left England at 4.55 a.m. on April 1 and having arrived at Darwin 9 days 12 hours 45 minutes later Mr. Scott has beaten Kingsford Smith's record by 13 hours 25 minutes. The flyer displayed an inflated lifebelt which he said he had worn on the later stages of the flight. He carried his baby daughter's black golliwog as a mas'cot. . •Mr. Scott said he was not certain when he would leave Darwin, but not for a day or two. Then he. would fly to Brisbane at his leisure as he was content with having broken the record. The- Government Resident, also the Mayor, welcomed the airman on behalf of the Government. Mr. Sc6tt was among the pilots who escorted Miss Amy Johnson from Darwin to Brisbane. On that occasion he came to his decision to fly from England to" Australia. He told a Sydney journalist he would do the journey in 10 days or "bust." In February, 1930, Mr. Scott established a Brisbane-Melbourne record for light aeroplanes. He had a narrow escape from death in 1928, when he flew into a hill in the lofty ranges of South Australia while attempting to fly from Adelaide to Longreach in one day. « The 'plane caught lire and was destroyed. Although Mr. Scott suffered a. broken jaw and other injuries, he walked a mile to the nearest farmhouse. His mechanic, George Nutson, was killed. Mr. Scott had piloted Air-Marshal Salmond 3000 miles over Australia in seven days and was about to return to Queensland when the crash occurred.