ENGLAND BOUND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 67, 21 March 1938, Page 9

ENGLAND BOUND.

SEEKS FURTHER RECORDS. WINGING OVER TASMAN SEA. ADVERSE WEATHER REPORT IGNORED. Having shattered the England to New Zealand record and the record for the Tasman crossing, as a result of a surprise flight from Sydney to Blenheim yesterday, Flying-Officer A. E Uouston, the New Zealand airman, is out for further achievements. In his famous Comet plane, he took off from Blenheim for Sydney shortly after 9.30 o'clock this morning, with the intention of lowering the time for the England-Sydney-England round •Hight. At the same time, if his return trip is successfully completed, he will be the first Hyer ever to have accomplished the journey by air from England to New Zealand and back as a single venture. Flying-Officer Clouston's run of ill-luck so far as the weather is .concerned threatens to continue on the return flight across the lasrnan. Before he left this morning he confessed that the weather report was not very favourable, but cheerily added: "The Cornet doesn t seem to worry about the weather." He has supreme faith in lus machine and his co-pilot, Mr. Victor Ricketts and gaining two hours as a result of the differences in times, he should reach Sydney, according to Australian time, early this afternoon. Landing at Blenheim 4 days 8 hours 7 minutes after leaving Gravesend, England, the airmen broke the record of another famous New Zealander. Miss Jean Batten (a solo flight) by 6 days 18 hours, and established a new record for the Tasman crossing of 7 hours 10 minutes. ™ .£ lyi ?f Officer C \ ouato . n * stav a * Sydney will be as brief as for!! K £; P *"" tO leaVe there at ' , o* cl <><* to-night and hopes to reach Hatavia to-morrow. flverAfr 88 ocia * on . mesßa ge Blenheim states that the flyers had a prospect of head winds for the first part of the lasman crossing. H