SMITHY'S FLIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 230, 29 September 1931, Page 7

SMITHY'S FLIGHT.

SLOW TRIP MADE.

Inefficient Propeller Causes

Easier Speed.

RECOVERED FROM SUNSTROKE,

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

KARACHI, September 28,

Air-Commodore Kingsford Smith who is flying from Australia to England in an attempt to create a fresh record for the journey arrived at Karachi from Jhansi this morning.

The airman reported that he had made a slow trip owing to an inefficient propeller and to his unwillingness to run the engine of the Southern Cross Minor fast enough to bring the machine's cruising speed to normal. He has recovered from his indisposition.

Mr. Smith departed for Jask, Persia, at 1.30 p.m. Probably lie will have to land there by the light of flares.

Kingsford Smith's attempt to break the record of 8 days 22 hours 25 minutes set up by Mr. J. A. Mollison in August is developing into a thrilling race. The setback to Smith's schedule occasioned by the forced landing of Friday in Malay, has been now almost regained- With the arrival of "Smithy" at Jask, Persia, yesterday, the fifth day of bis flight, he passed the resting place of Mollison on the evening of his fifth day out, which was Karachi. Kingsford Smith now proposes to make Aleppo (Turkey). 1490 miles his next hop, and thence to Rome, whereas Mollison stopped at Basra before he made Allepo, from from which stopping place the airman j touched Rome, and thence to Croydon. Mollison stopped a few horn's at La Bourget' Paris, and his last hop across the Channel was a very perilous and prolonged one owing to his encountering an electric storm which forced him down on the beach at Pevensey Bay, where he spent two hours before proceeding to Croydon. Kingsford Smith, after his miraculous escape from death over the Bay of Bengal, has, according to to-day's message, found it necessary to keep his engine somewhat throttled down, making a slow trip owing to an. inefficient propeller. This he may find it advisable to replace.

The remaining schedule get by "Smithy" is a trying one for both man and machine, as. when he enters the European zone he may encounter autumn weather conditions, with storms and equinoctial winds making the test on his machine and engine more severe even than that encountered by Mollison.

BACK FROM BRAZIL.

GRAF ZEPPELIN RETURNS,

(Received 12 noon.) BERLIN, September 28. The Graf Zeppelin has returned to Friedrichshaven from Brazil.

CRASH INTO CROWD.

FATAL* MISHAP.

GENEVA, September. 28,

An aeroplane which was in the air at an aviation meeting at Lucerne nosedived from a height of 150 ft and crashed among the spectators. Three people were killed and 21 were injured. The crowd became panic-stricken, and many people were knocked down in a stampede to the gates.