AVIATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 May 1934, Page 12

AVIATION

JEAN BATTEN. [by CABLE —PRESS ASSN.——COPYRIGHT.] CALCUTTA, May 16. Jean Batten landed at Calcutta at noon. TRANS-ATLANTIC FLIGHT. LONDON, May 16. The American airman, Pond, interviewed, said he and Sabelli flew blind over the Atlantic for two to three hours. They experienced engine trouble when 400 miles from Ireland, and they feared that this would necessitate a forced landing at sea. Their hopes dwindled almost to vanishing point. Then Sabelli began to pump oil to the engine, upon which the plane responded, and rose to a height of 1000 feet. After what, was seemingly an endless period, they at last spotted the thatched cottages in Clare. They had not. sighted a single ship on the journey.

CENTENARY RACE. THE HAGUE, May 16. The Royal Dutch Air Line has entered a new giant Fokker, F 36, carrying 12 passengers, in the handicap centenary air race. REPORTED CRASH. INVERCARGILL, May 16. It was reported this morning from Queenstown that an aeroplane was seen to go into a spin and crash in the rugged Skippers country, but inquiries throughout the South Island by the police and Chief Postmaster disclose no information regarding any plane that could have been in the vicinity. The aerodromes at Greymouth, Wigram, Oamaru, Timaru. Dunedin and Invercargill all stated that all of the machines could be acs counted for, while Cromwell and Wanaka reported that no aeroplanes had been seen. The report was made to the police by Edward Beale, who stated that he was standing outside Skippers Post Office at five minutes past eleven this morning, when in clouds ovei' the mountains, he saw an aeroplane spin, nose dive, and crash. A search party, including the man who made the report, went out from Arrowtown, but after ascending a peak in the locality, the party met with such stormy weather that they were forced to abandon the effort.

ULM’S MACHINE. WELLLINGTON, May 16. At the present time it is indefinite when Ulm in the “Faith in Australia’’ will leave Wellington en route for the Ninety Mile Beach for the return flight to Australia. The engine that gave signs of trouble is being dismantled, and when this is completed’ the engineer, Mr R. N. Boulton, will be able to form an opinion as to whether it will be necessary to import one of the parts that is suspected of being damaged, or whether it will be possible to effect temporary repairs here. Ulm called on Major-General Sinclair Burgess particularly for the purpose of expressing thanks for the fact that the Director of Air Services (Squadron Leader Wilkes) had sent up from Christchurch one of the New Zealand Air Force engineers to assist Mr Boulton in repairing the defect in the engine.