COOK STRAIT FLOWN OVER

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 49, 26 August 1920, Page 7

COOK STRAIT FLOWN OVER

CAPTAIN DICKSON LANDS AVRO IN WELLINGTON

FLIGHT FROM CHRISTCHURCH DESCRIBED

The" first aerial crossing! of Cook Strait was made, yesterday by Captain Euan Dickson^ in the course, of a very successful flight from Chri&tohurch to Wellington. The machine was one of the company's 110-h.p. Le Rhone Avros. The.passengers were Mr. 0. H. Hewlett (deputy chairman of the. Canterbury Aviation Co.) and Mr. J. E. Moore (the company's chief mechanic); The flight,! was commenced at 7 a.m., and concluded on the racecourse at Trentham at 2.10 p.m.j Stops.were made at Kaiko,ura and Blenheim. The actual flying I time was 4hrs 40min, made up as fol- I lows :— • ' • : . I Christchurch dep. 7 a.m. ' Kahautara River Flats air. 8.50, dep. 9.35. ' ■ Kaikonra arr. 9.40, dep. 10.20. s Blenheim arr. 11.50, dep. 12:55. Treutham arr. 2.10. The distinction of making the first crossing fell to Canterbury by a very narrow margin, but it was not until last evening that Captain Dickson became alware that Walsh Bros., who have two "aeroplanes in Wellington at present, intended to make a bid for the 'Cook Strait crossing on the following morning. The Walsh pilots, on their part,- were. quite unaware of Captain' Dickson 's enterprise until they saw the stoange Avro sailing northwards over their temporary aerodrome at Petone. Wellington was unaware of the intended visit, but -when a machine came into view from the southward, a few minutes before 2 o'clock, the crowds- turned out into the streets. Captain DLckaon put the Avro into a number of falling' leaf and stalling turns.. Then the machine set off foi Trentham, where an advance agent was waiting on the racecourse '.with a. little smoke fire burning to give the airmen the direction of the wind on the ground. Captain Dickson descended over the range, took a preliminary circuit of the smoke fire, and just glided down into the wind as if he had been up on "a guinea flip." l _ The arrival in Wellington found Par-' liamenfc just assembling, and. the legislators .crowded out to see the Avro go over. Presently at Trentham a telegraph messenger came over to Captain Dickson with the first of a shoal of telegrams of congratulation, including one front Mr. Coates, who has taken a. very keen interest in aviation. '■■'■■■■: On behalf of the Canterbury members of Parliament, Mr. D. G. Sullivan also sent a message of congratulation. To these and other telegrams Captain Dickson sent acknowledgments. One of the first to congratulate Captain Dickson and Mr. Hewlett was Colonel Powles, officer commanding Trentliam Camp, and at his irvitation the party presently' went over to the officers' mess for a well-appreciated luncheon. It had been intended to fly straight back to Blenheim, to avoid any suggestion that the Canterbury machine was poaching on the Aucklander's preserves, but, in view of his very heavy day's flying lagainst achead wind, Captain Dickson postponed his departure until the morning, and he returned to Wellington with Mr. Hewlett, while the machine was staked \down, and left under the care of Mr. Moore. Northern and Southern aviators met at Hutt Park on the return trip, where Captain Dickson met ■ Messrs. Vivian Walsh, G.\B.^qlt, and Captain Russell, who were busy on the machine ■ with which they proposed to fly the Strait. They, had a, good-natured reference to their respective fortunes, and the Aucklanders offered to provide an.escort for part of the way back next day. /STORY OF THE FLIGHT.

The story/of the flight was given in curt phraseology by Captain Dickson immediately after his arrival. He said: "Left Christchu#:> in adverse conditions^ Very strung north-easter. Made bad time to Kaikoura-,' when petrol was running short, so thought it advisable to land, although within two or three miles of arranged landing-ground. Landed on a rather rough paddock, and managed to get- some motor spirit from Mr. Bullen, The Elms; cup of tea, too. Immediately after filling up, left the ...ground and was in pre-arranged paddock at Kaikoura within! five minutes, Barney Mack- . well's, just behind ,the town. There was a good crowd to ' greet' us, and they gave us rather a, hearty reception. They provided tea, cakes, etc. Tanks with aviation spirit, and we'left again. At Kaikoura it wa-a perfectly calm, but i before that.^when passing Stoneyhuret, near the Amberly Hills, we ran into densr low clouds, in which we flew for about a quarter of an hour. We had no direction at all, and got only occasional glimpses .of sea and coast line. After Kaikoura; followed" the coast line, and passed various places on the coast, turning inland towards Blenheim at the Ure River. The progress of the machine wa6 reported throughout by the various telegraph offices. The maximum height between Kaikoura and Blenheim was six thousand feet on the coast. Passing Seddon and Ward we got lower. Gained height over Redwood Pass (about three thousand feet). Landed in Blenheim with very few people about., The news had not got out. Mr. Mogridge had arranged the fire and everything else. Leaving Blenheim obtained a fair height of six thousand feet. Followed the ' coast past Port Underwood and Rununder Point, and half way between there and Wellington Heads changed my course direct for Cape Terawhiti. We camo down to about 3500 feet over Terawhiti light." '• . "How did the Avro behave?" Captain Diakson was asked. "Very well," he replied. • — "And what do you think of the routs?" "I cannot say anything at the moment," he replied. "It was an aerial survey, and I will have to report on it. You can say that the scenery was good." "What was the most striking feature of the journey?" "I should think," he replied, "it was seeing- Wellington from Kaikoura so distinctly. The Kaikouras, of course, were the outstanding feature ot the trip, but we got .' few bumps over them. At Cook Strait 'we were enveloped in cloud for a while, and could not see land or sea, and from 6000 feet we came down to about 4500. Our first glimpse of Wellington was a surprise. It was over the hills, with a big stretch of water lying to the right of it. It was just like suddenly seeing Lyttelton from Christcliurch.- The finest, feature was_ the prominence of the North Island viewed from the South. Over Wellington we could see people gathering on the end? of the wharf and coming out ■ Si Parliament House. Mr. Hewlett, interviewed, said "the trip has shown, the necessity for a thorough survey—a very thorough survey, —of all routes \ not only from tho ground but from the*aiv .before any regular service is attempted, especially over, hill country. Flying over the plains to, Ashburton is very simple from the layman's point of "view..,. It is very much di.iiereat i'lp.m th.U claw of tounkv, and

shows the necessity for. highly-trained pilots. . . . The trip impressed me with the absolute necessity of having the most reliable engines. My thoughts constantly turned on the reliability of ths engine, when I .saw fifteen miles of water before and behind: This was the danger zone—the midway crossing of the Strait. . .

"When we encountered clouds we had to fly seaward, as it was too dangerous to fly over the mountains: j We skirted the coastline with a magnificent view at times through the broken clouds of. snowclad mountains range after range. ; ■ .. The stunting over Wellington was most enjoyable. ' At one tirhe v the city was underneath us, and the next moment" it seemed to be on top of us or standing up sideways. We saw no shipping in the Strait." . . , * ...

Mr. Hewlett, continuing, said that he had accompanied Captain Dickaon on. a. land survey,of the;, route to and he had therefore come on with him ] as'far as Wellington for the-aerial survey which ..was.made at .the request, of. the Air Bgard. It was intended to' map out 'emergency landings throughout the route. < ■ ■ ■-..«_.■ , i A MAIL. j A fairly substantial mail was brought North. It included letters from Mr. Wigrain (chairman of the Canterbury Aviation-Company) to Mr; ■■'Massey'and members of the-Air Board. . TKere were other letters' in the bag."" A dozen copies of the Lyttelton Times were landed from the Avro addressee! to members of the Ministry, .the".Mayor, of Wellington, and the editors of , the Wellington . daily papers. - • . ■■■■ • ■■■■