NON-STOP FLIGHT

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 50, 22 November 1932, Page 9

NON-STOP FLIGHT

British Airmen Plan Record Hop LYMPNE TO DARWIN By Telegraph—Press Assn. —Copyright. / London, Nov. 20. The “Daily Express’s” aviation correspondent announces plans for making the greatest flight to Australia yet attempted—a continuous day and night flight, expected to cover the 10,450 miles from Lympne to Port Darwin in five days. Aviators of outstanding repute are arranging the scheme for the early spring, the leader being a world-famous Englishman. Continuous flight will be made possible by refuelling from tanker machines along the route. These will supply both petrol and food. A special biplane is being secretly constructed for the adventure. In this high speed will be sacrificed to reliability. The designers have decided on a single radial air-cooled engine of the latest type in preference to multiple engines, because experience has shown that the former can run continously practically unattended for 1000 hours, while multiple engines multiply the risks of engine trouble. The project is amply supported financially. Several thousand pounds have already been spent on preliminary work. The chief concern is to perfect the plan in every technical detail with a view to obtaining a non-stop record for Britain. The training of the tanker pilots will begin in January. The actual route was chosen only after trials with a special machine. SEARCH FOR VICTOR SMITH Paris, Nov. 20. The Ministry of the Colonies has ordered the Governments of French Equatorial Africa to search for the missing aviator, Victor Smith, who has not been reported after leaving Duala for Niamey on a Cape-to-Croydon flight last week. ADMIRING TRIBUTES Mrs. MoDison’s Achievement Official wireless Rugby, Nov. 20. Tributes of admiration from all over the world have reached Mrs. J. A. Mollison (Amy Johnson) in Cape Town on her really remarkable flight from England. Mr. Mollison. after listening to his wife’s broadcast of her experiences, said that he would wait until the record was again broken before attacking it. Later details serve to emphasise the greatness of Mrs. Mollison’s personal achievement. Not only did she encounter a tropical storm, but when a slight defect in oil pressure occurred she had herself to improvise spanners and other tools to rectify it. Her time of four days six hours fifty-three minutes would have been even better had it not been necessary for her to return to Gao when she found after an hour’s flight Into the desert that her petrol tanks had not been properly filled and contained only enough spirit to enable her to return there for fresh fuel. Although she had only five hours’ sleep during the trip, she made up for this last night by sleeping for 141 hours. Her de Havilland Puss Moth plane behaved magnificently throughout the trip and is still in perfect condition.