AOTEAROA’S FLIGHT

Evening Star, Issue 23496, 9 February 1940, Page 3

AOTEAROA’S FLIGHT

HEAD WINDS THROUGHOUT SYDNEY REACHED IH ELEVEN HOURS [Pen United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, February 8. Meeting head winds for practically the whole distance, the Tasman Empire Airways flying boat Aotearoa crossed the Tasman Sea from Auckland to Sydney to-day in slightly over 11 hours. She carried as passengers the Marquess of Willingdon, the British Government representative at the Centennial celebrations, the Marchioness of Willingdon, Lord Errington, secretary to the Marquess, Senator P. A. M. M'Bride, Assistant Minister of Commerce in Australia, Mrs M'Bride, and two members of the Marquess of Willingdon’s personal staff ._ Sir Harry Batterbee,, High Commissioner for Great Britain in New Zealand, and Captain Lord Dormer, A.D.C. to the Governor-General (Viscount Galway), were among_those who went to the air base to bid farewell to the visitors. The flying boat rose from the water at 8.5 a.m. Because of the winds prevailing, it was expected that the Aotearoa would take longer over the crossing than usual, and she was not expected at Sydney until about 7 p.m. She demonstrated her punctuality by arriving at 7.4 p.m. It was reported from Sydney that persistent head winds had marked the flight. At one stage there was a surface wind of 39 knots dead ahead, equal to light gale force, and the flight was made at low altitudes, the experience showing that when westerly winds are blowing on the Tasman they increase in strength with height. The average speed for tho crossing was about 105 miles an hour.