IN EIGHT DAYS

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 64, 9 December 1931, Page 8

IN EIGHT DAYS

England to New Zealand PROPOSED FLIGHT N.Z. Airman’s Plans Plans for a flight from England to Australia in four days, to be followed immediately by a flight from Australia to New Zealand, have been made by Flying-Officer A. Binley, a New Zealander who joined the Royal Air Force four years ago and who is now stationed in Palestine under Flight-Lieu-tenant Acherley, the noted speed flyer and competitor in Schneider Trophy contests.

Flying-Officer Binley arrived in Wellington yesterday by the Marama, on leave, and In an Interview with “The Dominion” he gave brief details of his proposed fight, stating that he felt absolutely confident that he could reach New Zealand within eight or nine days from the time he left England. The whole project,’ however, was entirely dependent on his being able to raise the necessary finance; this he hoped to do during the five weeks he would spend in New Zealand and he felt sure his scheme would appeal as a commercial proposition. “If I can’t raise the finance here, I think I'll be able to do It in England or the Continent, or, possibly, America,” he said. Mall Services’ Flying-Time.

The main object of the flight was to demonstrate that if he could do the flight to Australia - in four days, and he was sure he could, the mail planes could do it In seven or eight days.

But before anything big was done In the way of mail services it was essential that .the aerodromes on the route be considerably Improved, especially from Karachi onward. He would follow approximately the same route as that taken by other' EnglandAustralian flyers, ‘but would probably do a good deal more of navigating and compass flying than had been done by most of these aviators. K i Flying By Moonlight “I anticipate having a friend and copilot with me,” Flying-Officer Binley said. “The machine will not be a dual control one, but my co-pilot will take some of the hops. We hope to do a good deal of night flying and the flight 'will be arranged so that we can fly by moonlight as much as possible. It’s only a matter of endurance, after all, and we certainly will have to be on the top line as for as physical fitness is concerned. “The machine will be a Locheed Vega, the same type of machine as was used by Lindbergh on his Japan flight, with a cruising speed of 180 m.p.h. I will have some minor modifications of my own, designed to meet 'special requirements ; probably there will. be duplication of everything that is vital.” Bank to Royal Air Force. Flying-Officer Binley, who is an old pupil of Marlborough College, Blenheim, first joined the staff of the Bank of New South Wales in Blenheim, and was later transferred to Wanganui. It was in 1927 that he resigned from the bank and went Home with the idea of qualifying for the Air Force. After a period of training and study he was sent out to Palestine and Transjordanla. “It’s a grand feeling, getting back to New Zealand,” he said. “I have been away for five years now. and I’ve seen most of the world, but I've never seen anything to touch New Zealand.” He added that he was looking forward to visiting his home town for a few weeks, probably before Christmas.