AVIATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 11 May 1929, Page 7

AVIATION

KOOKABURRA TRAGEDY.

(Australian Press Assn—United Service.) (By Cable—Press Assn.—Copyright.)

SYDNEY, May 10.

Mr Abbott, Minister of Northern Territories, has announced that a Thornycroft truck, of the rigid sixwheeled variety, is leaving Oodnadatta shortly to make an eighty mile dash to the scene of the Kookaburra in order to bring back the bodies of Anderson and Hitchcock. The truck will have the terrible task of traversing the scrub, for which it is specially suited. It will take six hundred gallons of water, and be directed by Air Force aeroplanes. The truck is performing the task free of all cost. Interviewed concerning the Drysdale Mission signal, Kingsford Smith said: “We attached the message to a rocket torch and flew fifty feet over the mission station. We thought we saw it picked up by two people resembling aborigines, one of whom pointed south-west. The other threw white objects like pieces of wood in the same direction. It is just possible we were mistaken, and that instead of pointing to the ground, they were inviting us to land.”

A FLIGHT CANCELLED. LONDON, May 10. Plans for a dramatic record .flight to Australia in ten days and back within thirty days, have fallen through on the point of principle. A certain company built a remarkable new long range monoplane, and offered alluring terms to an airman, who objected to the exclusion from the equipment of certain arrangements. PACIFIC SERVICE.

WASHINGTON, May 10. President Litchfield of the Good-'year-Zeppelin Company, called on. Mr Hoover, and outlined plans for the establishment of a mail and passenger dirigible service from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and eventually to the Philippines,, Australia, Japan and China. Mr Hoover commented favourably upon the subject, and if the Administration approved, the service will be commenced in 1932.