BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

Evening Star, Issue 22233, 10 January 1936, Page 2

BENEATH THE WINDSOCK

[By Gypsy Moth.]

FAITH IN HIS ENGINE. Answering criticism previously levelled at his Tasman venture, Mr W. M. O’Hara discounted any suggestion that it had been foolhardy, when speaking at the reception accorded to nim on landing at Rongotai. There was very little difference in starting up an aeroplane engine in Sydney and landing at Auckland and starting it at Invercargill and flying to the .same destination, ne said. There was a little less chance of being saved if the engine failed over the sea, hut the idea of being let down on a 12 or 13-hour journey was negligible, because modem air engines bad dual ignition and dual feed systems incorporated in their design, and there was very little that would go wrong. “ You do not expect the engine of your car to break down when you go for a trip,” said Mr O’Hara, “ and the aeroplane engine is a much finer product than the motor car engine.” TO AID AVIATION. After being away from tho Dominion for five months, most of which time he spent studying the methods by which aviation in Great Britain is assisted by meteorology, Dr M. A. F. Barnett, who is to be in charge of the aviation section to be established as a branch of the meteorological work in the Dominion, arrived at Wellington by the Tamaroa from London. Dr Barnett was away partly on business for the'Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. He said that the English methods of assisting commercial aviation Would be taken as a basis for the work in New Zealand, when the section was established to assist commercial and other aviation. There was little difference between what was being done ih Great Britain and what would bo necessary in New Zealand, though probably, through local conditions, the work here would have to be more detailed. IMPERIAL AIRWAYS DEVELOPMENT. Forerunners of extensions of the company’s operations, three new subsidiary companies have been registered by Imperial Ltd., recently. These are Imperial Airways (Far East) Ltd., Imperial 1 Airways (Nigeria and Gold Cost) Ltd., and Imperial Airways (Continental) Ltd. The last of the trio has a capital of £500,000 and the other two £IO,OOO each. At present the parent company’s active operations _ embrace three divisions, the Continental routes, the service between London and Cape Town, and that to Australia, ih conjunction with its two, associate companies, Indian Transcontinental Airways Ltd., and Qantas Empire Airways Ltd. Imperial Airways (Far East) Ltd. will run a branch line from the Eng-land-Australia service, from a convenient junction up to Hongkong. Two routes for this service haye been considered, and the choice between them is dependent largely upon political considerations. The land route will probably go from Bangkok to Hanoi, French Indo-Cbiua, and thence to Hongkong, and the sea route from Singapore along the Northern Coast of Borneo, and up to Manila in the Philippines. It is reported to be more than likely that the route to Hongkong will be flown from Penang, with four-en-gined land machines, before the year is out. The second overseas company. Imperial ■ Airways (Nigeria and Gold Coast) Ltd. is expected to begin active operations within the next six months. It is to run a branch line, from Khartoum, which is one of the stations on the Cape Town route, across to West Africa. . . , Imperial Airways (Continental) Ltd. will eventually take over all Imperial Airways’ European services. The formation of new companies obviates complications in the subsidy arrangements.

PACIFIC FLIGHT RECORD. Completing her third westward crossing of tire Pacific Coast from Alameda, California, the Pan American Airways’ Sikorsky S-42 landed at Honolulu with a new record for the trip. Seventeen hours 12min after leaving the mainland, the four-engined flying boat, under the command of Captain R. O. ]). Sullivan, landed in Honolulu, clipping 33min from her previous best time. An average speed of 140 miles an hour was maintained for the 2,408-mile flight which was made to gather more enginering data for establishing the Pacific air route which will extend to Canton. China. The' second stage of the flight Was accomplished three days later when the plane landed at -Midway Island, and prepared to make the first hop to Wake Island, next in the series of stops across the Pacific.