AVIATION

Grey River Argus, 8 December 1931, Page 5

AVIATION

MAIL PLANE CAPSIZES I Five People Killed (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn). SINGAPORE, De*. 7.-' c A Dutch air mail plane overturned on leaving Donmuang £Siam) on the *• way home. Five people were killed. Colonel Brinsmead was a passens ger. He suffered concussion' and '* broken ribs. His condition on Sunday night had improved since the morn- ■( i[ 'g- . 1 The plane failed to rise and struck - an embankment. A wheel came off and the plane overturned in a paddy v field. Kingsford Smith arrived on the scene at noon. He refuelled and hopped off for Rangoon. Colonel Brinsmead joined the plane at Alorstar, and is now in the Rane goon hospital. s A Rangoon message says that KingsI ford Smith has arrived there. e .■ New Safety Device f . DOUBLE-CASED PLANE. (Australian and N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received Dec. 7 at 8 p.m ) LONDON, December 7. 5 A young French aviator, Souvant, I of Nice has invented a double-cased ’ aeroplane, which he intends to ignite and crash to earth, accompanied by a 5 mechanic, from a height of three thous- : and feet in a Alpes Maritimes. Sou- ■ vant declares that the occupants can i escape uninjured from the inner case ► of the plane when the fire is extin- • guished. He has made satisfactory experiments with a miniature machine, in which he placed a lamb. He has also dropped an ostrich egg, containing a hen’s egg, a distance of 375 feet. The latter was unbroken. SMITH PASSES RANGOON. (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn). RANGOON, December 7. Kingsford Smith left for Calcutta at six o’clock this morning. SMITH IN INDIA. CALCUTTA, December 7. Kingsford Smith has arrived, here. AUSTRALIAN /DIRECTOR. TRAVELS BY DUTCH PLANE. (Aus. & N.Z. Cable Assn.) (Received December 7 at 11 p.m.) MELBOURNE, December 7. A message received by the .Civil Aviation Department says that Colonel Brinsmead has joined a Dutch air mail plane with the object of reporting to Kingsford Smith on the condition of the aerodromes between Alorstar and Rangoon. The Dutch machine was a Fokker Fl2 monoplane with three Wasp engines. Officials of the Australian Air Department express the opinion that Colonel Brinsmead was probably invited by the Dutch authorities to hasten onward to England aboard their craft. The Prime Minister’s Department has cabled for th e fullest information as to Cbilonel Brinsmead’s accident. KAIKOURA LADY. TAKEN BY PLANE TO HOSPITAL. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, December 7. Because a Kaikoura resident required an urgent operation, a Puss Moth plane of the New Zealand Air Force was called into use and brought her to Rongotai this afternoon Shortly afterwards sh e was in tho private hospital in Wellington. Neither the Wellington 'Aero Club nor the Canterbury Aero Club had a machine suitable, so the Defence Department was approached, with the resu. that Squadron Leader Findlav Wigram Aerodrome for wherd h e picked up the patient. He then flew to Wellington, arriving at Rongotai Airport at 2 p.m. The free ambulance was awaiting the arrival of the machine, having been informed that the patient was coming, and she was immediately taken to the private hospital.