ATLANTIC FLIGHTS

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 September 1927, Page 8

ATLANTIC FLIGHTS

’PLANES STILL MISSING. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.) LONDON, September 8. The Sir John Carling plane should have reached Croydon at noon to-day. The supply of petrol would have been exhausted at 6 o’clock to-night. Hence the airman canot any longer- be in the air. There is no news of the plane’s landing or being sighted anywhere on the Atlantic. This is causing the gravest fears for its safety. Crowds of people waited at Croydon all day. The Old Glory must now be regarded as lost. A wireless to London from the Transylvania, one of the searching ships, says : “We fear there is small hope of survival, in view of the rough sea.” SHOULD FLIGHTS BE STOPPED? LONDON, September 8. While the majority of the experts are of opinion that trans-Atlantic flying should not be attempted, Sir S. Brancker, in a speech at Liverpool, said: “The flight from east to west has been done. It is idle to talk of prohibiting it. You can no more prevent a man flying the Atlantic than attacking Mount Everest. CANADIAN ACTION. OTTAWA, September 8. The Premier, Mr McKenzie King, intimates that Parliament may be asked to stop trans-Atlantic flying to and from Canada,

AMERICAN PROPOSALS. NEW YORK, September 8. The New York World’s Washington correspondent states: The appalling number of fatalities involved in transoceanic flying may result in Congressional action. The Government officials are not seeking to check ocean flying, but they advocate the prohibition of stunt flying. Mr McCracken, the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Air, favours legislation whereby planes incapable of landing and leaving the water should be barred from trans-oceanic flying. Public sentiment is for stricter control, and that indicates it is inevitable that the Government will intervene. ,A similar’ movement is afoot in Canada. FLIGHTS ABANDONED. NEW YORK, September 9. The Boston interests which had offered 25,(M) dollars for the first flight from Europe to Boston, has now withdrawn the offer. OTTAWA, September 9. The Committee at Windsor, who was sponsoring the Royal Windsor flight, have definitely notified aviators, who are now at Harour Grace, that they must abandon the flight to England and return home. GERMAN AMBITIONS.

BERLIN, September 9. German airmen, preparing for trans-Atlantic flights, decided to abandon the attempts in 1927 owing to unfavourable weather, but are convinced that the trans-Atlantic east to west flights will be accomplished in 1.928, when every effort will be made to enable a German pilot and aeroplane to be first to accomplish the passage. SIR K. SMITH’S OPINION. (Special to “Star.”) CHRISTCHURCH, Sept. 9. The opinion that Governments, if they have the power, should absolutely prohibit attempts to cross the Atlantic in aeroplanes, if the machines are not so constructed as to be capable of landing in water, and floating on watei’ for twenty-four hours, was expressed by Sir Keith Smith, the Australian aviator, who arrived from Wellington this morning on a brief visit to Christchurch.

“No land machines should be allowed to tackle such flights,” he said. He added that the flights now being attempted which had resulted in so many disasters, were not proving anything, and not doing commercial aviation any good, because the public would form the opinion that if so many experts failed, the ordinary man would have no- chance at all. A flight over the Tasman would not present similar difficulties for the reason that (ho distance was only about a thousand miles. Lindbergh had proved it possible to cover a distance of 3301) miles in one flight. ROUND THE WORLD (“Sydney Sun” Service.) HONGKONG, Sept. 9. The • Pride of Detroit has arrived from Hanoi.