MISS JOHNSON'S FLIGHT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 118, 21 May 1930, Page 11

MISS JOHNSON'S FLIGHT

ARRIVAL AT SURABAYA

AEROPLANE REPAIRED

British Official Wireless. (Received 21st May, 11 a.m.)

~ RUGBY, 20th May. *" Miss Amy Johnson is now within thirteen hundred miles of Port.Darwin, . having flown to-day in two stages under most unfavourable weather conditions from Tjomal,f Java, to Surabaya.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. SURABAYA, 20th May. Miss Johnson arrived at 1.20 p.m. from Samr.rang. She announced that she would, after arrival at Darwin, fly direct to Sydney.'

She delayed the resumption of her flight from the sugar -estate at Tjombal where she made a forced landing owing to lack of petrol, because an examination of her aeroplane this morning revealed that fivo holes had been torn in tho wings by bamboo sticks which had Vsei. stuck upright in the ground, intended to support, young fruit trees. The holes were about a foot wide.

Factory employees, effected repairs to the aeroplane, working, feverishly, and1 also assisted'in putting in supplies of gasoline and oil, and Miss Johnson, who had been rather cast down by her adverse luck, left at 8.45 a.m. for Samarang, where she landed at 10 o'clock, and left again at 11.20 a.m. for Surabaya. HAREER THAN EXPECTED. Miss Johnson finds the flight a heavier test personally than she had expected, and will be glad when it is ended and she is safe in Sydney. Her energy and daring havo impressed everybody who"has met her. Miss, Johnson is proceeding to Surabr. ya behind the regular service 'plane of the Royal Netherlands-Indies, Air Company, and will stay the night at Surabaya. To-morrow she will proceed to Bima, on Thursday to Atamboea, and on lfriday to Port Darwin. She lias received many offers from Australia to ' start an extensive tour from Port Darwin, but she will refuse. "I want a rest," she exclaimed, looking dead tired, but still smiling cheerfully. She declared that flying was extremely tiring. ORDEAL OVES JAVA SEA. Eclating her experiences above the Java Sea, Miss Johnson declared that the most severe test above the Java Sea was that between Singkep and Banka, where heavy squalls and dense rainstorms obliged her to fly to Sumatra. She flew over thick stretches of jungle, and later again changed her direction to Banka, from where she crossed the Java Sea again, amid very heavy tropicql. storms, so that the 'jane over long distances was only a couplo of metres above tho sea level, which caused a fear at{ any time of. a crqsh in tho sea, in which ~ase she would have been absolutely lost. However, she managed to reach the Java shore, after which she followed the coastline, at last reaching Tjomal.

Miss Johnson was most enthusiastic over'her cordial and warm reception by tho Tjomal sugar-men.