SEARCH IN KING COUNTRY

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25637, 28 October 1948, Page 4

SEARCH IN KING COUNTRY

SLQW AIRCRAFT USED • OVER FOREST PLANES GO OUT TO THE COAST

(P.A.) AUCKLAND, October 27. A big fleet of aircraft ranging from Air Force Dakotas and Mosquitoes to slow-flying, manoeuvrable Tiger Moths was engaged to-day in the search for missing Lockheed Electra Kaka. A more intensive air coverage was given to the areas chosen than had been possible, earlier because of the bad weather that had lasted since Saturday. Even this morning the departure of searching Dakotas from Auckland was delayed by weather. A narrow front, which carried only showers to Auckland but was more severely felt further south, caused the postponement in the dawn take-off planned from Whenuapai, but conditions improved later. The cloud base lifted to about 3000 ft and better visibility helped the searching air crews. Although their range is limited, light aircraft that can fly safely at low speeds are often preferable to bigger and faster planes for the exacting work of an aerial search. They can be flown little above tree-top height under good conditions, can work slowly up valleys, and can turn so quickly that a pilot who thinks he sees something of value can turn and check his observations with ease. Therefore two Tiger Moths from Hamilton were sent out to scour the area between Raglan (on the coast 30 miles from Hamilton), Albatross Point (25 miles to the south-west), Otorohanga .(40 miles south of Hamilton on the Main Trunk line), and Te Awamutu (14 miles south of Hamilton). From this area many sighting reports had been received. It is north of Ongarue. Their search was without result. Towards Lake Taupo

Partly overlapping the sector covered by the Moths was the area allocated to one of the Auckland Dakotas. Its sister aircraft was further inland towards Lake Taupo. Both returned to base with negative reports. Although the search has moved steadily northward, it is still being directed by the Wellington air traffic control centre. The possibility that the Kaka might actually- be much further south than many reports would suggest has not been overlooked, and some of the aircraft from southern bases were searching areas a long way south of those covered by the aeroplanes from -Auckland and Hamilton. The suggestion that the aeroplane may have reached Kawhia (just north of Albatross Point) and even possibly have flown out over the sea, has focussed attention again on a report received from three units of the high frequency direction-finding network on Saturday that an unidentifiable signal was received from a point some 60 miles off the coast in the North Taranaki Bight. The authorities are satisfied that this signal was some freak of radio and that it could not in any circumstances have come from the Electra. No matter what had happened to the plane’s radio equipment and no matter what adjustments had been attempted in the air, the frequency on which the signal was heard was too high even to be a harmonic from the Electra’s unit.

To make assurance doubly sure, a Catalina was sent from Auckland to the point plotted before dark on Saturday. Nothing was seen in the rough sea. . Reports that wreckage had been seen from the Waitomo Hostel were proved negative after aircraft had scoured the area late this afternoon and a resident had tramped to the spot. Both advised the search organisers that a small sheet of water shining in the light had evidently been mistaken for wreckage, of which there was no trace.