A KING FLIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 103, 4 May 1931, Page 7

A KING FLIES.

FIRST IN HISTORY. Belgian Monarch Goes Aloft In British "Windmill. ,, « QUEEN NERVOUS. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 11.30 a.m.) BRUSSELS, May 3.

Albert, King of the Belgians, is the first monarch in history to venture on a flight in a dangerous-looking "windmill" autogyro, in which. Lord Stonehaven to-day made a surprise flight to Belgium.

When he landed, King Albert was most excited and, grasping Lord Stonehaven's hand, cried: "What a wonderful invention! I would like a flight myself."

The Queen nervously intervened, "It's not safe," but the King was not to be deterred.

Borrowing Lord Stonehaven's helmet, he told the pilot to take him up to see Brussels from the air. The , machine returned in 10 minutes, landing without the usual taxi-ing. The pilot declared that the machine was very safe. Nobody had succeeded in killing himself in one since its invention in 1925. SMART TRIP. CAPE-LONDON SECTION. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 11.30 a.m.) RUGBY, May 3. Flight-Lieutenant Rose, on a British light aeroplane, in his attempt to fly from Capetown to London in 4J days, arrived at Bulawayo to-day from Capetown after covering 1100 miles in 122 hours. He left before midnight, hoping to reach Tabora by noon and Kisumu by nightfall. ENGINE TROUBLE. FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA. (Received 11 a.m.) CONSTANTINOPLE, May 3. Captain Neville Stack and Mr. J. R. Chaplin, who are flying to Australia, reached Vienna yesterday and departed for Constantinople, arriving there in record time from England. They are delayed at Constantinople with engine trouble. The airmen had proposed to take off for Bagdad at dawn to-day.

ENGLISH AIR MAIL. TRANSFERRED IN BURMA. (Received 11.30 a.m.) AKYAB, May 3. The Southern Cross arrived at Akyab from Rangoon to-day. The mail from Australia for England was transferred to the City of Karachi, which left for Calcutta, arriving later in the afternoon. 'PLANE DAMAGED. AIRMEN IN AUSTRALIA. (Received 11.30 a.m.) BRISBANE, this day. The Cambridge 'Varsity ■„ airmen, Messrs. G. P. Fairbairn and K. Shenstone, who are proceeding to Sydney after a flight from England to Australia, have arrived at Cloncurry. They will be delayed several days there owing to their 'plane being damaged when they struck a ditch in landing.

NARROW ESCAPE. AIRMEN IN THE SEA. SYDNEY, May 3. While tlie two occupants of a Moth aeroplane were searching Botany Bay yesterday for the body of a boy who had been drowned through a canoe capsizing, the machine hit the water and was turned upside down. The pilot, Mr. 0. H. Lodge, and a member of the Aero Club, who were strapped in their seats, were in danger of drowning, but managed to free ,, themselves and were rescued by the crew of a fishing launch.