FLYERS IN CHINA.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 21, 26 January 1939, Page 9

FLYERS IN CHINA.

RUN THE GAUNTLET. FOREIGN AIRMEN DEFY JAPS, ■nyioss rxoM homokoito. (Special.—By Air Man.) HONGKONG, January 7. Despite a huge concentration of Japanese warships and two aircraft carriers only 30 miles from here, China's Inland airways are once more getting on their feet. After the C.N.A.C. 'plane and two Eurasia machines had been shot down by Japanese pursuits all in the same fortnight at the end of August, for a time the hangar at Kai Tak. Hongkong's airport and centre of Far East aviation, was crowded with grounded machines which could not take off because they would have met similar fates. For a time, too, the German pilots employed by the Eurasia Aviation Company, refusst to fly unless they were granted special bonuses. However, this difficulty was overcome, and now the German airmen make nightly fights from Hongkong to Chungking. The night flight scheme has been in operation for a month now and so far there have been no fatalities. Each 'plane invariably carries a capacity freight and passenger load. The generally leave Kal Tak between 8 p.m. and 0 p.m., though no time of departure is announced, passengers being informed by special messenger when the *t»lane is likely to deGrt. The flight takes four hoars, and idings are fnMde with specially equip-! ped floodlighting arrangements. | The China National Aviation Cor-| poration, American-backed concern, has also resumed service this week., Two night flights have been made to Chungking from Hongkong and return, and soon a regular nightly schedule will M In operation. Great secrecy is maintained by both companies to see that no news of the 'planes' departures leaks out beforehand

as countless Japanese spies are known to be working in this vicinity. American pilots employed by the C.N.A.C. have been told to say nothing, but it is known that important Chinese officiate and foreigners travel by the 'planes.

While road, rail and river means of transportation between this British colony and Chinese inland cities have now been completely severed by the South China invasion, the night air routes are the only means open for travellers to get to the interior. It in significant that new yachines for both companies are expected to reach here shortly, and the Douglas machine of the C.N.A.C. shot down in the West River near Canton with the loss of 14 lives, is being reconditioned and will be ready to take the air before many weeks. Two other similar machines of the same company have been gone over, and will be put on the new service equipped with' long-range tanks. The Eurasia machines recently made non-stop flights up to Siam, passing through three different battle areas, and over the heads of three different Japanese armies. The Junkers machines, as used by the company, have been specially fitted for long-distance flights and have a range of 2000.miles.