CLIPPER REACHES SECOND BASE

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22050, 25 March 1937, Page 15

CLIPPER REACHES SECOND BASE

Survey Flight To New

Zealand

LANDING AT KINGMAN

REEF

ItWITID PBBSS M«OCIATIOH—COPTMQHT.)

(Received March 24, 11.30 p.m.)

SAN FRANCISCO, March 24. In a copyright message to the North American Newspaper Alliance, the pilot of the Pan-American survey clipper, Captain Edwin C. Musick, says: "Eight hours five minutes after leaving Honolulu we landed in the lagoon at Kingman Reef, ending the second leg of our flight. " . "There was a solid wall of rain near the reef, but a sun sight through an opening in the clouds enabled us to v#fy our course Canaday made a masterly 30b of the navigation. We sighted a plume of smoke from the funnel of the North Wind before the ship or the island was seen through the rain. There was alternate rain and sunshine throughout the trip." Before taking off from Honolulu, Captain Musick said: "While it is purely a survey flight, it heralds a regular service as did the Orient line survey two years ago. By connecting Auckland with the Imperial or other airline, practically a world circuit will be established." The clipper was expected to reach Kingman Reef in eight or nine hours.

FINAL STAGES OF

FLIGHT

CLIPPER MAY RETURN TO

HONOLULU

PILOT WILL BE GUIDED BY

WEATHER

(PRESS ISSOCIATIOX TELSGBtU.)

AUCKLAND,. March 24.

Mr Harold Gatty said to-night that Captain Musick, who arrived with the Pan-American clipper at Kingman Reef to-day, would be guided solely by the weather at the reef as to whether he would make the third stage of the flight to Pago Pago or return to Honolulu and wait there until after the holidays were over.

"Communications and meteorological information are the basis of safety for long-distance flights," he said, "and the aeroplanes must be able to obtain dependable information at all times. That continuous meteorological information throughout the route from Honolulu to Auckland is not available during the holiday periods is likely to have an important bearing on the continuation of the flight • before Easter. My own personal view is that it is highly probable that the clipper will return to Honolulu. If the aeroplane came right through to-day it is probable that she would meet the storm that is travelling toward the Samoan Islands from south of the New Hebrides. More will be known about the movement of the disturbance later. "Apart from that, a flight during the holiday season means that we will be unable to make a full weather map because of the lack of reports available during the Easter holidays. The flight up to the present has thus proved the value of the survey that is being made. It is showing what is actually needed before a regular service can be inaugurated. The fact has been established that a more constant network of meteorological information is needed to fly the service wijth safety and efficiency. Who can say that weather reports are not just as necessary in holiday times as at any other period The same number of reports are not made at holiday seasons on account of leave being granted to the officials engaged in the work. This emphasises a new need with the inauguration of overseas flying services, and proves the value of survey flights before the route is finally determined."

NEW ZEALAND WEATHER STATIONS

SERVICE FOR AVIATION NOT

YET ADEQUATE

(PRESS ASSOCIATION TELEGRAM.) WELLINGTON, March 24. The Hon. D. G. Sullivan, Minister in charge of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, said to-day that he had received a report from the director of the meteorological office, Dr. E. that during the last week a careful check had been made on the weather in the southwestern Pacific with the intention of being able to give advice to the PanAmerican clipper flying south from Honolulu.

Although ile.e service had been extended to a stage which reflected credit on the organisers, the experience of the last few days showed that although at its best it went a. long way towards meeting the requirements, it did not yet provide an adequate service for aviation. "It is not always possible to rely on the receipt in New Zealand of reports from all stations, particularly from the New Hebrides region, and interruptions in week-ends prevent a continuous watch being k«pt at the various weather stations, making a precise and continuous analysis of conditions extremely difficult," said the Minister. "This was exemplified in the last few days. Last Friday a report from the New Hebrides indicated a slightly disturbed condition. No further report was received until Monday evening, by which time there was a fully developed tropical cyclone, which was likely to he centred near the path of the clipper. Few reports are likely to be received again from the islands under the present conditions of the stations during the holidays, and it would ba hazardous to bring the clipper down in the circumstances."