CENTAURUS ARRIVES HOME AGAIN

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 129, 25 February 1938, Page 11

CENTAURUS ARRIVES HOME AGAIN

30,000-Mile Survey Flight Completed (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, February 23. Several hours earlier than was expected, the flying-boat Centaurus reached Southampton on her return from New Zealand. Since the flying-boat left. Southampton on December 3 she has flown 30,000 miles in surveying the route for, the regular flying-boat services be-/ tween Southampton and Sydney, which are to start early this summer, and for the extended airmail route from Sydney to Auckland, which is expected to be established a year later.

TASMAN SERVICE Machines May Not Be Ready Till 1939 Melbourne, February 24. Following .statements by New Zealand commercial pilots that there was no possibility of a trans-Tasman flyingboat service being established within two years, the Minister of Defence, Mr. H. V.. Thorby, admitted that the new boats designed for the service might not be ready before 1939. There would be no services until these were ready, and there was no possibility of the Government co-operating with New Zealand to establish a temporary landplane service.

NEW AIR RATE Five Tons Of Mail On First Flight London, February 23. Inaugurating the lid. airmail service from India to Malaya, the Imperial Airways flying-boat Centurion left Southampton with five tons of mail. It is intended to fly four mails weekly from England, two of which will continue to Singapore pending the opening of the Anglo-Australian service. COMPOSITE PLANE Official Demonstration At 700 Feet (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, February 23. The Mayo composite aircraft made a successful official demonstration flight at Rochester. The upper component separated and climbed easily away from the carrier flying-boat at 700 feet.

The New Zealander, Mr. H. J. Piper, piloted the smaller plane, the Mercury. Captain Parker, pilot of the Maia, said: ‘‘When we parted all I felt was a sudden lurch downward. It was quite easy. I am sure we could do it safely under any flying conditions. There is no danger of the machines fouling. There is a minimum stress in departing of 50001 b., one plane straining upward and the other downward at the moment of release. They just leap apart. Mr. Piper has no control of his machine while it is locked, but as soon as we part he finds himself flying upward with the controls easy, and everything set to perfection.”

Mr. Piper said it was a perfect takeoff.