AT PAGO PAGO

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 154, 27 March 1937, Page 10

AT PAGO PAGO

Survey Flight of PanAmerican Clipper

SHORT DELAY LIKELY Steady Rain and Storm Warnings By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright (Received March 26, 6.30 p.m.) New York, March 25. A North American Newspaper Alliance copyright message from Captain E. Musick, pilot of the Pan-American Airways clipper on a survey flight to New Zealand, states: — "We made an easy landing in choppy walers on Pago Pago Harbour at 8.14 p.m., Pacific time, 10 hours 35 minutes after leaving Kingman Reef, "Our average speed of 150 miles an hour was too fast for exploration, but clouds, rain, and unbroken sea were the only sights on this leg. We navigated mostly by radio direction-finder.

"The steady rain aud storm warnings indicate a delay of a day or two. A continuation of the flight to Auckland would be useless in this weather.

"We are unable to study the landmarks and approaches and the myriad islands. Excited officials and the native population witnessed our arrival.”

VALUE OF STORM WARNING

By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland. Marell 25. Commenting on Dr. Kidson’s storm warning, Captain Sergeant, the Auckland harbourmaster, said that when Auckland experienced the severe storm in February of last year no warning was received. “Such warnings as the one received to-day are of the greatest value,” he said. "I am transmitting it to shipping as fast as possible. It indicates that the Meteorological Office is alive to its duty and is instituting a service that will be greatly appreciated by seamen and others.”

THE FINAL STAGE

Flight Not Expected Before

Tuesday By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, March 25. Mr. Harold Gatty stated to-day that it was intended that the clipper plane should continue radio direction-finding tests at Pago Pago. As the result of the only partial network of meteorological reports during the holidays aud the storm conditions on the route to Auckland, it is not expected that Auckland will be reached before Tuesday, by which time it is expected that the weather will be favourable and the meteorological reports more frequent. It is anticipated that the plane, when it makes the final stage of the flight, will leave in daylight, in which case it will arrive in the l.ate afternoon of the same day. Mr. Gatty said that the meteorological office had located a second disturbance from the hurricane-breed-ing grounds north of the New Hebrides, and this is being closely watched. but there is insufficient data to predict the exact path of this storm. As the flight is essentially a survey flight, on which there is no intention of maintaining any schedule, nothing will be lost if the flying-boat is held at Pago Pago. It is quite feasible for a flying-boat to come through a severe storm, for there is a great margin of engine power, and fuel far beyond the bare requirements is carried, but apart from the margin of power and flying range the presence of a storm centre on the normal line of flight does not necessarily mean the cancellation or even the delaying of the flight when timetable services are run. Providing that there are sufficient data available the meteorologists are able to track the storm movement and to advise the pilot by radio of the course which will take the machine past the storm area . At the moment such sufficient weather data is not available to enable this to be done, but as the scheme develops, this wider, more complete, and continuous net of observing and reporting stations will be built up. As was explained in a report made to the Minister yesterday by Mr. E. Kidson, Director of Meteorological Services, the difficulty of obtaining sufficient data is most acute during holiday and week-end periods, when a number of stations do not at present make their usual week-day reports.