ROUGH TRIP.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 103, 2 May 1940, Page 8

ROUGH TRIP.

ACROSS TASMAN. AOTEAROA RETURNS. SNOW, SLEET AND ICE. ENGLISH MAIL BROUGHT. Turbulent weather conditions were experienced on the return flight from Sydney of the flying boat Aotearoa, which alighted on the harbour et 1.50 p.m. to-day after a crossing which occupied S hours 15 minutes. The Aotearoa brought five passengers and approximately 45,000 letters. Portion of the mail was flown direct from England, and for the first time diplomatic dispatches came direct by air to New Zealand from the British Government. The passengers were: Miss J. McDonald (Takapnna), and Messrs. L. R. Kent (Newcastle), J. Percival, jun. (Sydney), K. Palmer (Melbourne) and H. Oakley Browne (Auckland). Clear Sky. . Although the sky was clear and the stars shining brightly when the Aotearoa took the air a few minutes after 4 a.m. (Sydney time) after taxi-ing down a flare-lit course, within 20 minutes bad weather was experienced from a westerly quarter, the. velocity of the wind in the vicinity of Lord Howe Island being 43 miles an hour at an altitude of 7000 feet. The following wind was all in favour of speed and 170 miles an hour was registered. For two hours bad conditions continued, there being frequent rain and hail squalls, the temperature outside falling to zero. A snowstorm was the next experience at an altitude of 9000. feet, but the officers did not view this with any alarm, as it is a common occurrence at such a height. The snow would not reach sea level. Violent Conditions. Good weather was the order for the next two hours, and then the Aotearoa flew into a cold frost and experienced violent conditions for 15 minutes. The passengers were unperturbed, however, and sat comfortably in their chairs until the flying boat emerged into calm weather again. During this period rain, sleet and snow were encountered and ice quickly formed on the cabin windows and the float bracings. A maximum height of 11,000 feet was reached during this storm, and as a precautionary measure against chokes being blocked with ice Flight-Engineer R. S. Peek warmed up the carburettors, this being the second occasion since the Aotearoa arrived in New Zealand that this has had to be done. The outside air temperature fell to minus three degrees centigrade, and thunder aiid lightning were experienced. Accurate Landfall. When the Aotearoa came out of the second storm centre the weather became fine, and the remainder of the flight was made under ideal conditions. The landfall was made with great accuracy, and the commander brought -his boat, to test on the harbour. It was the eleventh crossing of the Aotearoa. The fastest- crossing was made on August 28, when four minutes less than eight hours was taken from Sydney. A trip on October 15 last occupied eight hours seven minutes from Sydney. ~.