TO TAXI ACROSS COOK STRAIT

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25244, 24 July 1947, Page 3

TO TAXI ACROSS COOK STRAIT

WALRUS AMPHIBIAN AIRCRAFT

(P.A.) BLENHEIM. July 23. Weather permitting, a Walrus amphibian aircraft, similar to that which some weeks ago made an unauthorised flight from Woodbourne to Paraparaumu will leave from Cloudy Bay, near Blenheim, in an attempt to taxi across Cook Strait. The machine, which was recently bought from the War Assets Realisation Board by Mr J. M. Gould. Paraparaumu, was towed to Cloudy Bay to-day and successfully floated. The tow took almost three hours and the machine required several adjustments after its arrival at the beach.

Before the actual shoreline was reached a length of soft gravel had to be traversed and the aircraft bogged down not far from the water. This necessitated a long wait for the rising tide, anc’. it was nearly dark' before the pilot (Mr H. G. Fairlie) took the amphibian away from the shore. After taxi-ing several thousand yards. Mr Fairlie turned the machine and anchored it for the night, coming ashore by dinghy. The weather for to-day’s operation was perfect and it. is expected that the same conditions will apply to-morrow. Most of the morning will be taken up with refuelling and if the sea is anything like as glassy as it was to-day a start on the journey will be made about midday.