ULM’S FLIGHT

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 December 1934, Page 5

ULM’S FLIGHT

BROADCAST BANNED

AN AUCKLAND PROTEST [PER press association.] AUCKLAND, December 3. Direct political action to counteract the restrictive policy of the New ea " land Radio Broadcasting authorities, is proposed by the “Friendly Road" movement, which celebrated its second anniversary yesterday with huge gatherings of supporters at Carlaw Park and in the Town Hall yesterday. “It will be a peaceful campaign, but it will be effective," said Rev. C. G. Scrimgeour, leadeY of the movement. “Mussolini and Hitler have been made to blush by the policy the Post and Telegraph Department has followed. It is fortunate indeed that in New Zealand the ballot-box is still available for effective registration of protest.” Mr Scrimgeour said that through the Department’s action, the whole of New Zealand had been deprived of listening to broadcast messages from Ulm’s aeroplane during the Pacific flight. Ulm had arranged with him to send personal messages from the plane by short wave, and authorised him to broadcast them. To Ulm’s representative, he had expressed the view that Ulm’s flight was of far wider concern than Auckland or North Island interest, and that the Broadcasting Board be asked to give a broadcast to New Zealand. He (Scrimgeour) heard no more until he received a cablegram from Ulm’s representative in Australia, asking him to undertake the broadcast. He made arrangements accordingly, and also announced that when Ulm reached Auckland he would speak from the “Friendly Road’s” Station IZB. “Then I received word from the Post and Telegraph Department that the aeroplane broadcast was banned. No reason was given. I asked for one and the Department said the broadcast Would be banned in any case.” He had pleaded with the authorities and written to the PostmasterGeneral, emphasising the Empire significance of the flight, but all pleas were in vain.

This ban, he said, constituted the last of a series of petty irritations that were undermining the foundations of the “Friendly Road” organisation. They coulcL no longer tolerate it. He was encouraged in his attitude by the reception of his viewpoint given by 20,000 listeners who attended the celebrations yesterday. They had pledged support to the steps proposed to deal with “this vicious interference with the rights of the listening public. They realise as I do, that the only effective means is to be found in the ballot-box.” Before making his remarks yesterday, on this subject, Mr Scrimgeour instructed the announcer at IZB Station to cut him off. ULM’S TEST FLIGHT. OAKLAND, November 30. Ulm took his plane up for a. thirty minutes’ test flight, loaded with six hundred gallons of gasoline, to-day. He barely missed a crash when the plane skimmed the field fence with about six inches to spare. The takeoff calculations were affected, by a sudden wind shift. Returning after the flight, he said: “The plane is in excellent condition. We can make the hop with no trouble at all. I do not know my plans until I receive the weather report on Saturday morning, when we shall take off for Australia, if it is favourable.” As the plane was being given a final check, it was discovered that two instruments were out of commission, namely, the rate of climb indicator, and the artificial horizon indicator. They are being repaired.

TRANS-PACIFIC SERVICE. OAKLAND, December 1. A weekly aeroplane service between Australia and Hawaii is expected to evolve from Mr Ulm’s flight. Ulm stated: “Full financial and technical plans have been completed. I expect the Great Pacific Airways Ltd., of which I am managing director, to establish a service in the -next two years.” He said planes would go once a week each way between Sydney and Honolulu to connect with a steamer service between the United States and Honolulu, and would reduce the transportation time of 21 days from San Francisco to Sydney to seven and a-half days. Ulm said: “Eight passenger planes, which also will carry up to three hundred pounds of mail, are now available. In my opinion, as the result of recent discussions with the manufacturers of aircraft, I am perfectly satisfied that a regular transport air service can, and will be put in service across the Pacific in two years. The primary object of the present flight is a further demonstration that long distance flying is feasible, and that modern aircraft has reduced the hazards of over-water flying. We hope to instil confidence in the public mind. We are much more interested in long distance flying than speed.” Ulm explained that spec-ially-pitched propellers had been installed, which slowed the speed, but increased the gasoline mileage.

KINGSFORD SMITH LOS ANGELES, December 1. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith told the Australian Press Association’s correspondent that he would like to bo back in Australia in time for his son’s birthday on December 12. but a financial hacker for the flight was still lacking. Mr. J. W. S. Stannage, Smith s manager, declared: “Everything else is ready. It is a toss-up between philanthropists and oil companies as to who will put up the necessary money.” GLIDER KILLED. MIAMI (Florida), December 1. Warren Eaton, an amateur glider, the President of the Soaring Society of America, was killed when his motorless plane crashed at Biscayne Bay from a twelve hundred feet altitude. The glider was attached to an aeroplane. Apparently it was caught in the wake from the propellers, for it suddenly shot upwards and broke loose from the towing cable. WEATHER REPORTS. I RUGBY, December 1. j The National Aviation Meteorological Association Station to be used ex-

clusively for broadcasting weather reports and forecasts, is to be erected by the Marconi Company on behalf of the Air Ministry at Cranwell (Lincoln). The new station will he operated by the Air Ministry, and will transmit meteorological bulletins at regular intervals throughout the day for the benefit of pilots of the air line operating companies and flying clubs. It is hoped the new service will offer a further valuable contribution to the safety of civil aviation. The station will be opened early next summer. -

WHITEHEAD’S PLANE. WELLINGTON, December 2. Preliminary examinations of the “Faith in New Zealand" plane have been made by the Government’s aviation experts, and further tests of the machine are in progress. The Minister of Defence, Mr Cobbe, was questioned as to the position in regard to the plane, in which Flying Officer Whitehead and Mr Nicholl flew from Australia to New Zealand. He said it seemed at present that the authorities were unable to validate the certificate of airworthiness of the “Faith in New Zealand” until extensive repairs had been carried out.