PAST TRAVELLING

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 55, 3 September 1934, Page 10

PAST TRAVELLING

AIR MAIL PILOT'S TRIP

When Mr. K. Leonard, an American air' mail pilot, reaches San Francisco on September 21, he will have travelled round the world in approximately sixty days. . Mr. Leonard arrived from' Sydney by the Makura today in the course of a combined business and pleasure trip and' leaves again tomorrow afternoon for the United States.

Speaking to-a "Post" reporter Mr. Leonard said that he had made no' attempt to create a record for fast travelling, and he mentioned the time taken on his trip simply to show the possibilities offered by modern methods of transport. He had flown from Los Angeles to New York by commercial, air liiie in under 24 hours and had spent five days at sea on the Europa. After another five daysin London he flew to Singapore by aii Imperial Airways machino and proceeded thence to Australia j by steamer. If he had madia: the best connections at each stage of the journey he c6uld have cut- the time for the round trip down to about'six weeks. Mr. Leonard referred interestingly to developments in''commercial air services in the United States, and mentioned that machines with a top speed .'of. 21S miles ah hour and a cruising speed, of 200 miles an hour with fourteen, passen geis, two pilots, mail and baggagewero regularly making the transcontinental crossing between.Los.Angeles and. New York an fifteen hours. . The , distance was almost 2600 miles and had been covered by commercial machines in 13$ hours.. •"•" -.. ' '■'.<"■'.■ Asked if there was any possibility of his taking part in the Melbourne Centenary Air Baee in view of his trip from London to- Singapore, Mr.- Leonard said that changes of pilots might be made for the American machines, but he would probably act as a source of information. He' had some interesting matters to report upon to his company when he returned home.