PLANE AS CARGO.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 240, 10 October 1932, Page 8

PLANE AS CARGO.

FLIGHT FROM AUSTRALIA. MOVIE MEN'S TOUR. tttti "SPIRIT OF FUN." A large high-speed monoplane is the most interesting. item of cargo. on the American liner Monterey, which arrived at Auckland this morning, and is to continue her . voyage to Sydney this evening. The 'plane, named "The Spirit of Fun." is to be flown from Australia to Europe, on one of the biggest commercial flights yet undertaken. The crew will comprise Mir. Arthur Loew, the first -- vice-president of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Film' Corporation, Captain James B. Dickson, who will be pilot, and Mr. James Eosthal. "The trip has been planned for business and pleasure, but mostly for business," said Captain Dickson. lr We shall start from Sydney on Saturday or Sunday next, and will call'at: - Melbourne. We shall leave Australia- from either Port Darwin or Wyndham, and-fly to the? Dutch East Indies, Singapore,.J3angkok, Hanoi, Hongkong and Shanghai,. From Shanghai Mr. Loew will go by • steamer to Tokyo, rejoining the -'plane later.' We will then fly to Calcutta and Bombay, and across Persia to Irak. From Egypt we intend to follow .the Imperial Airways route to Johannesburg, where Mr. Loew will; attend the opening of the new Metro Theatre. Weshall return over the same route, and from Cairo fly to Paris by way. of Athens and Rome. It is not intended to fly the 'plane from France, whence it is to be shipped, to America, via England, as our time 18 limited." The party have to be in Shanghai by October 27, and are due in Paris on November 26, Maximum Speed of 220 m.p.h. Owned by Mr. Hal Roach, one of the most prominent film actors and producers Spirit ©f Faa iff ♦ -

Lockheed Orion 'plane, fitted with'a 450 horse-power; Wasp engine. It has a cruising speed of 180 miles per hour, and can attain a maximum, speed of 220 miles per hour. The 'plane is beautifully stream lined, a fact which- makes possible its great speed. It can carry six passengers besides the pilot, and holds the record for a passenger, flight between New York and Los Angeles, having made the 2500-mile journey' .in 14 hours 45 minutes. It weighs ,23001b empty, and 53001b when fully loaded. The total mileage flown on the trip , will be 30,000 miles. Mr. Loew holds a pilot's ticket, and will act as co-pilot. Aviation In America. Captain Dickson, who has been flying for eleven years, including seven years with' American' Army 'planes, 'said that flying in America had become exceedingly popular. ■ A fatal crash no longer frightened people away from 'planes as it did a«few years ago. If a passenger 'plane crashed the next one to leave the aerodrome would be* just as well patronised as if nothing had happened. {The American people had come to-realise that the percentage of flying accidents was not high, and that they were no safer in motor cars-than in the air. In America there were approximately 10,000 miles of lighted airways, with lights every ten miles, and landing fields every •30 miles.. "Personally I don't like. night flying, and we shall not be doing any on our flight from Australia,'' Captain Dickson remarked. When the Spirit of Fun flew from Los Angeles to New York an attempt "was made to break Lindbergh's record; but the 'plane was forced down when within an hour's flying of New York, owing to fog. At the time it was well ahead of •the record. The present record for the ■trip is 10 hours 19 minutes, an average speed of 248 miles, but this was not a passenger flight. •On board the Monterey the 'plane is carried on the after deck. Considerable difficulty was experienced in placing the 'plane in position on' the ship at Los Angeles. "I had a lot of fun in getting the 'plane to the quayside," said Captain Dickson. "I had to taxi it for a mile along the road, and the wing span took up the full width. Traffic officers went -on - ahead, clearing ±ha--traffic,'- 1