BREVITIES.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LX, Issue 10697, 16 October 1931, Page 4

BREVITIES.

From Far and Near.

CAN MAN FLY 1000 MILES AN HOUR

London.—-“I do not see why a speed of 1000 miles an hour should not be attained by aviators if (he present development of aircraft goes on,” says Flight-Lieutenant G. H. Stainforth, who has just flown faster by many miles than anybody had ever done before.

The contracting wing made it a feasible proposition said Mr H. J. Mitchell, the designer of the winning Schneider Trophy ’plane, to use lighter alloys in the construction of the engine and the machine, thus enabling a reduction in the wing surface and the size of thse floats. This would lessen the air resistance and increase the speed. Propellers, as at present known, may be abolished, and rocket propulsion will possibly be substistuted,” said Mr Mitchell. Mr Claude Orahame-White, celebrated aviator and aeronautical engineer, envisages a new type of aeroplane, with a speed of a 1000 miles an hour, and with telescopic wings, used only for taking off and lauding, they beiing drawn in during the flight of the machine, which would fly like a projectile. “A very feasible theory,” was the comment of Flight-Lieutenant Ulm on Flight-Lieutenant Stainforth’s statement that he did not see why aviators could not in the near future attain a speed of 1000 miles an hour “Of course,” said Mr Ulm, “a speed of this nature can be nothing but a conjecture at the present time, but one has only to look at the records of the Schneider Cup to see that such a speed is quite possible. The speed of the first winner was just on 40 m.p.h. and Britain’s last victory was attained with a speed of over 400 m.p.h. The increase in speed has maintained practically the same curve since the inception of the race.” Mr Ulm is of the opinion that these speeds cannot be attained until more is known of the upper air conditions, where resistance Avill be much lighter.

EXPLOITING “WORLD'S OLDEST MAN,” A MURDER MYSTERY. London.—Guarded by constables armed with revolvers, Edward Cullens, 151, an American, appeared in Court at Carrickfergus (Co., Antrim) recently, charged with the murder of Ahmed Musa, a Turk, and attendant of Zaro Agha, a Turk, “the world’s oldest man.”

The prosecution, outlining the “bizarre crime’’ said that Zaro Musa, Cullens and Assim Red van, formed a syndicate in America to exploit Zaro Agha. They joined an English circus. Cullens was dissatisfied with his position as odd job man, seeing that the others were paid a salary. He proposed to Mu.su a tour of Ireland, and borrowed Redvan’s saloon car. Musa possesed £G7 and borrowed another £3O from Red van.

They picked up two girls, who saw Cullens in possesion of a bathing cap which later covered the wounds in Musa’s head. Cullens, who was short of money, told the girls that Musa had plenty, but was miserly. When Cullens was arrested, he possessed a revolver cartridge case of the same calibre as the weapon with which Musa was shot. Cullens was remanded.

The naked body of Musa, described as a doctor attending his great-great-great-gra.ndfat.hciv Zaro Agha. was found in a field near Carrickfergus. The Belfast police believe that Musa ,was associated with the gang who murdered Robert Donald aged 37, a bank clerk, who endeavoured to prevent them escaping with £2OOO at Glasgow on August 12, and that the gang shot Musa in Belfast because he knew toe much, and then motored his body into the country and dumped it in a fie! 1 .