AVIATION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20038, 20 September 1930, Page 15

AVIATION.

FLIGHTS planned to AUSTRALIA. an ambitious attempt. (UXITED PRESS ASSOCIATION—BY ELECTBIC TELEGRAPH—COPYRIGHT.) LONDON, -September 18. itlx the exception of Captain C. D. Barnard, whose plans have not been disclosed, the most ambitious attempt in the race to Australia by air is that of Mr Murray, who is ready to start in a Moth aeroplane on the first favourable midnight. He "will do day and night flying in the hope of completing tile trip in eight days. Seven separate attempts to fly to Australia are in course of preparation, Relayed the aviation expert of the Daily .Herald" recently, when referring to the projected air race from England to Australia between three British pilots. The pilots attempting the flight include two "women and a number of. R.A.F. officers. The pilots are: Miss Aroba Clifford, of Christchureh, .Now Zealand, who made a journey to England specially to undertake the flight. Mrs Victor Bruce, the famous racing motorist. Mr Chabot, of the Royal Air Force. Mr Pickthorne, of . the Royal Air Force. Two R.A.F. officers, during their autumn leave, hope to make a record double journey in a large type, commercial monbplane. They plan to cover 20,000 miles in non-stop cops of 1000 miles. . Squadron-Commander C. E. Kingsford Smith. Captain C. D. Barnard, who assisted the Duchess of Bedford in her flights to India and Africa. Enquiries made bv the . Australian Press Association disclosed the fact that there was nothing authoritative yet available about these flights, but some of the projects were certainly in course of preparation. CAPTAIN MATTHEWS'S FLIGHT. SOFIA, September 18. Captain. F. J. Matthews, who is fly ing to Australia, lias arrived. Ht> is disappointed at losing a day at Belgrade owing to the weather. He later resumed his flight via Constantinople. A message from Bagdad says that Captain Matthews passed over that city at dawn without stopping. ARRIVAL AT CONSTANTINOPLE. CONSTANTINOPLE, September 18. Matthews arrived here at 7.15 p.m. He will continue his flight to Aleppo tomorrow. ' A BAD STAGE. (Received 19th, 7 p.m.) - LONDON, September 19. Captain Matthews' flight from Sofia to Constantinople was rendered difficult owing to bad light and severe thunderstorms. FLYERS' AT NAPLES. ("Received September 19tii,- 7. p.m.) < LONDON,, September 18.Sheii&tpne apd Fajrhairn have arjiv«d '

"WO&AN FLYER KILLED. ' -CRASHES INTO -HILL. (iteceived September 19th, 5.5 p.m.) - NEW YORK, September " 18.' A, message -irom San Diego, Califorstates that -Mrs-. Ruth Alexander, agftd -- 20, one of . the best-known flyers, was killed a few minutes after starting on a non-stop transcontinental flight to New York, through her piachine crashing into a hill in the residential section just inside the limits;It is believed that she lost her bearings in a heavy fog, and was travelling at a high speed when her machine badly cracked up. . She was the first woman to, make# a non-stop Canada to Mexico flight, and was the Jiolder of the light aeroplane altitude record for.'a- woman,; namely

I"; /;; ;•• MAILS-' BY AIR. FAST MACHINES ADVOCATED. • • LONDON, September 18. "'There is no .technical reason .why air t mails should not be delivered to India in thirty- or forty hours," said Sir Samuel Hoare, ex-Minister fpr Air, speaking at Ashbridge. "Air' force machines move at 180 miles an hour, and there is no reason why 1 similar machines should not be used.! for mails instead of omnibus machines carrying also passengers and freight, which: are ' obliged ,to stop every three hundred-miles. Up to the present time the British Post Office has shown itself the blackest reactionary in all matters in... connexion with. the air. It had even refused an air stamp. "No civil air service in the world is yet self-supporting. Our Continental rivals are receiving seventy per cent, of their total costs in Government subsidies. "The British air lines are nearer to becoming self-supporting than those of tjie .United. States, Germany, France,, and Italy; and Britain has an unbeaten record for safety and punctuality.". . V -J-