INTO THE DAWN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 277, 22 November 1934, Page 7

INTO THE DAWN.

PERFECT TAKE-OFF.

Flyers Silhouetted Against Full Moon. THEN LOST TO SIGHT. (United P.A.—Electric Telegraph—Copyright) (Received 11 a.m.) SYDNEY, this day. The young New Zealand airman, Mr. R. G. Whitehead, accompanied by Mr. Kex Nicholls, of Manly, Sydney, took-off from Gerringong Beach, 73 miles south of Sydney, on a flight to New Zealand at 1.55 this morning, Sydney time (3.55 a.m., New Zealand time). It will be an unlicensed flight. With the assistance of flares and car headlights, the machine made a perfect take-off. For a moment the machine was silhouetted against the full moon, then lost to sight. The airmen are attempting the Tasman crossing without either a certificate of registration or a certificate of airworthiness. Both these certificates were cancelled when the Department heard of their proposed flight a week ago. A compass and an ordinary aircraft chronometer are all the flyers have for navigation. Their destination will be New Plymouth, and they hope to break the record. Only one seat remains in the 'plane, a Puss Moth, the other two having been removed to make way for a petrol tank. The occupants have to share a small cockpit. The machine carries 120 gallons of petrol, sufficient for 20 hours' flying. There is 110 wireless aboard owing to the limited space. The airmen landed at Gerringong Beach last evening and waited for the tide to recede, in order to obtain a good runway. A moderate south-east breeze prevailed along the coast, but it was expected that the flyers would encounter some bad weather halfway across the Tasman. LEGAL POSITION. UNREGISTERED AEROPLANES. The fact that Messrs. Whitehead and Nicholl are attempting their flight in the face of the cancellation of both the certificate of registration and certificate of airworthiness for the machine suggests that if they are successful in reaching New Zealand some form of legal action may follow. The regulations under the Air Navigation Act, 1031, state that 110 person may % any aircraft within the Dominion of New Zealand unless certain conditions are complied with. One of these regulations is that a prescribed certificate as to airworthiness must be carried in the aircraft. In tlie case of machines registered . outside of New Zealand, "prescribed" means prescribed by the law of the State in which the machine is registered. Persons breaking the Dominion regulations are liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding six months or a fine not exceeding £200 or to both such penalties. It appears clear from the cables from Sydney that the 'act of Messrs. Whitehead and Nicholl in taking off from Australia without the necessary certificates created a breach of the regulations in force in New South Wales, and that another technical breach, will be committed if they land their unregistered machine in New Zealand. It is understood that in special circumstances permission can be granted for an unregistered machine tb be flown. TASMAN SHIPPING. TEW VESSELS EN ROUTE. There are unusually few vessels in the course of crossing tlie Tasman at the present time and none is known to be anywhere near the route the flyers might be expected to be following from Gerringong to New Plymouth. The Recorder sails to-day from New Plymouth for Muriwai. The Strathaird is due here to-morrow from Brisbane, but would be far from the locality. The Wanganella leaves Wellington at 4 p.m.' to-day for Sydney and may be the nearest vessel to the line of flight. The Maunganui left Sydney this afternoon for Wellington but would be '12 hours behind the start of the flyers, and on a different course.