FAST FLIGHT

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 65, 10 December 1930, Page 11

FAST FLIGHT

Fairey Plane Over City

The unusually loud roar of a 509 horsepower Napier Lion engine caused many people to look skyward during the dinner hour yesterday, as the Fairey 111 F., which had flown from Auckland to Wellington in just over three hours, circled the city. With Squadron-Leader L. M. I»«t at the controls the machine left Hobtsonvllle at 9.5 a.m., and came down the eastern side of the island, the journey from Auckland to New Plymouth occupying an hour and a half. Visibility was poor on that portion of the journey, although conditions improved for the remainder of the flight. The machine arrived at Wellington at 12.33,' having had the city in view for five minutes previous to the arrival. After flying over the city for some time, the machine went on to Blenheim, arriving there half an hour after it had reached Wellington. A stop was made there for lunch, and the machine left for Christchurch at 2 P ’During the whole of the trip, as wae the case of the recent flight of the machine from Christchurch to Auckland, the aeroplane, the wireless operator of which was Leading Aircraftsman Gibbs, of Wigram Aerodrome, was in communication with the Director of Air Ser-vices,-Wing-Commander Grant-Dalton, at Defence Headquarters.