LAST TRIP MADE

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22356, 14 June 1947, Page 4

LAST TRIP MADE

VETERAN FLYING-BOAT AWARUA’S SERVICE ENDS Completing 8740 flying hours, in which it travelled 1.400.000 miles, the Empire class flying-boat Awarua, one of the first two aircraft to be put into operation bv Tasman Empire Airways, made its last flight on Thursday when it arrived at Auckland from Australia. The Awarua will be replaced by a Tasman class flying-boat, which has been ordered and is expected to arrive in September. Built in 1939. The Awa ua was built, by Short Brothers at Rochester, England, in April, 1939, and after flying 587 hours for Imperial Airways was brought to New Zealand for Tasman Airways under the command of Captain O. Garden, until recently operations manager tor the company. It brought the first through passengers from the United Kingdom to New Zealand. The first scheduled Tasman passenger flight for the company was made in May 1, 1940. Toward the end of 1942 the Awarua made several military operational flights to Noumea, and in January 1943, when returning from taking tile Minister of Finance, Mr. W. Nash, to Honolulu, it was fired upon by an American aircraft, which mistook it for a Japanese flying-boat. Tasman Flight Record.

The company's record for the fastest flight across the Tasman is held by the Awarua. On August 13. 1946, aided by favourable winds, the aircraft made the flight in 5 hours 15 minutes. By way of contrast, the Awarua took a very long time to cross the Tasman on its last trip to Australia on Wednesday. Owing to strong head winds, which were encountered almost all the way, the plane took 11 hours 5 minutes. The flying boat is of little further use because of its age. It will be gradually broken up, but many of the fittings will be retained for use when required in the company’s other air craft.