FLIGHT PLANS DELAYED

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29366, 19 November 1960, Page 12

FLIGHT PLANS DELAYED

McMurdo Still Silent

The United States Coast Guard's icebreaker. Eastwind, has been diverted from its course to New Zealand and told to take up a position in the Antarctic ocean as picket ship. It will temporarily replace the present ocean station vessel. Wilhoite. when it goes to Dunedin- for fuel and stores on Tuesday. Captain E. A. McDonald, deputy commander of the American operations, said yesterda.v that if the weather was good .yvhile the Wilhoite was off station, time in flying cargo to the Antarctic would be lost. “We might as well make use of all the available flying time." he said. Two Globemasters left the airport yesterday morning in an attempt to make radio contact with McMurdo. Both aircraft returned 12 hours later without having heard from the Antarctic.

Ten Globemasters are still waiting on the ground to leave for the Antarctic.

‘,‘We are going through an enormous disturbance created by the sun,” said Dr. C. D. Ellyett, reader in physics at the University of Canterbury. Practically all instruments at the radio field station of the physics department had been showing extremely irregular behaviour over the last few days. "For instance, there has been almost complete absorption of radio waves sent vertically upwards at high frequencies, and at very high frequencies there has been both absorption at times, and intense production of radio noise at other times. Meters recording noise that normally show slight movement have had the needles right over. “It has been the strongest solar disturbance we have observed at the field station in the last few years,” said Dr. Ellyett. “Fundamentally, a vast eruption on the -sun has poured out streams of both atoms and radiations. In particular, we know that X-rays in great quantities have come from the sun and disrupted the upper atmosphere of the earth. Atoms in this condition absorb all the radio waves sent upwards, which would normally be reflected down to the earth again at long distances away. “The disturbances would normally vanish after two to three days, but this one seems to be continually renewing and is extremely big affecting communications all over the world,” said Dr. Ellyett.

Two Houses Passed In At Auction

A four-bedroomed house on a hillside section at 16 Cunningham terrace, Lyttelton, was passed in at auction yesterday at £2450. Bidding opened at £2OOO and rose in four bids of £lOO and one bid of £5O. The property was offered on account of Mr M. Tally. A large four-bedroomed house at 13 Raven street, Kaiapoi, was passed in at £1750. The house, which is on a section of three roods six perches, was offered on account of Mr M. W. Lloyd. Bidding opened at £l5OO and rose in two £lOO bids and one £5O bid.