ANOTHER AVRO ’PLANE

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 303, 16 September 1921, Page 5

ANOTHER AVRO ’PLANE

FIRST TO LAND IN THE CITY

’ FROM BLENHEIM TO LYALL BAY IN FIFTY MINUTES

, The Now Zealand Aero Transport's i Avro machine, -in charge of Mr, Cuthbert Mercer, arrived from the South Island last evening after a smart passage across the Strait. The 'plane mado history, in a way, fori it is fitted with the lowest-powered

engine of any machine which has flown across Cook Strait, and is the / first to have landed within the confines of Wellington city. Mr 1 . Mercer stated that he left Timaru at. 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday, and landed at Sockburn at ,12.50 p.m. He left there again at 2.5 pirn., intending to make a through flight to Blenheim, but had to make a landing at Kaikoura owing to a leak in one of the oil pipes in the engine. He and hie flying companion, Mr. S. V. Mallard,/worked that night on the engine, and having effected repairs, left Kaikoura for Blenheim at 11.20 a.m. yesterday. Blenheim was reached l at 12.16 p.m., and a start was made for Wellington at 5 p.m. The Strait was flown at a height of about 4500 feet, the machine climbing to 8500 feet as the land was approached. The coast was followed along to > a point off Island Bay, when the ’plane made for the land, flew over the city,

crossed Mount Victoria at a height of • about 400 feet, and headed for the Lyall Bay Park. There friends in waiting had lighted a fire, to give the aviator 1 , the ground-wind direction. The ’plane came straight at the Park from the direction of Evans Bay, circled round once on a downward grade, and coming up in the eye of the light southerly breeze, cleared the fence of the Association Football Park by somoiten or fifteen feet, and made the neatest of landings on the centre of the Park, from which point ’it was removed to the shelter .of the tall iron fence on the southern side of the Lyall Bay Bowling Club's green. The novelty of an aeroplane landing in the vicinity of a fairly thickly populated suburb attracted general attention, and within ten minutes people were streaming into tho Park from all directions, eager to inspect "E 9429 as she is numbered on the tail. Mr* Mercer informed a Dominion representative that the flight was mado under fairly good conditions. There were a good many clouds about, banking up from the south, and the southerly was felt a little as they crossed the Strait. The visibility was good, though it was growing dusk when he landed, and the. objects looked for were, easily picked up. It was the first time he had crossed the Strait, and he had en-

joyed the experience very much. There were no incidents on the flight, save for ' the trouble which caused the landing at Kaikoura. Had that not occurred, ho would have come right through to Wellington in the one day. The New Zealand Aero Transport has arranged with' a local management for the machine to remain in Wellington for some little time, and will be available for joy rides from to-day. wilder 1 arrangement with Mr. A, M. Adams, of 12 Panama Street, or with tho aviator at the Park. Mr. S. V. Mallard, who came up with Mr. Mercer, is also a skilled aviator, and will have control of the 'plane whilst she is in Wellington. Tho machine is of the ordinary A.vro type, with a "mono” engine of 100-h.p.