IN FOUR DAYS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20415, 9 December 1931, Page 10

IN FOUR DAYS.

ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA. NEW ZEALANDER PLANS RECORD FLIGHT. [THE PRESS Special Sarrlce.] WELLINGTON, December 8. Plans for a flight from England to Australia in four days, to be followed immediately by a flight fr6m Australia to New Zealand, have been made by Flying Officer A. Binley, a New Zealander, >vho joined the Eoyal Air Force four years agOj an< l who is now stationed in Palestine under Flight Lieutenant Acherley, the noted speed flyer and competitor in Schneider Trophy contests. Flying Officer Binley arrived in Wellington by the Marama on leave, and in an interview he gave brief details of his proposed flight, stating he felt absolutely confident he could reach New Zealand within eight or nine days from the time he left England. Tho whole project, however, was entirely dependent on his being able to raise tho necessary finance. Thi3 he hoped to do during the 4ve weeks he would spend in New Zealand. The main object of the flight was" to demonstrate that ,if he could do the flight to Australia in four days, and he was sure he could, mail aeroplanes could do it in seven or eight days, but before anything big was done in the way of mail services it was essential that the aerodromes on the route should be considerably improved, especially from Karachi onward. He would follow approximately the same route as that taken by other England to Australia flyers, but would probably do a good deal more of navigating and compass flying than had been done by most of these aviators. A Matter of Endurance. "I anticipate having a friend and copilot with me," Flying Officer Binley said. "The machine will not bo a dual control one, but my co-pilot will take some of the hops. We hope to do a good deal of night flying, and tho flight will be arranged so that we can fly by moonlight as much as possible. It is only a matter of endurance after all, and we certainly will have to be on the top line as far as physical 'fitness is concerned. The machine will be a Locheed Vega, the same type of machine as was used by Lindbergh on his Japan flight, with a cruising speed of 180 miles per hour." Flying Officer Binley, who is an old pupil of Marlborough College, Blenheim, first joined the staff of the Bank of New South. Wales in Blenheim, and was later transferred to Wanganui. It was in 1927 he resigned from the bank and went home with the idea of qualifying for the Air Force. "It's a grand feeling getting back to New Zealand," he said. "I have been away for five years now, and I have Been most of the world, but I have never seen anything to touch New Zealand." He added that he was looking forward to visiting his home town for a few weeks, probably before Christmas.