ACROSS THE TASMAN

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 5 January 1928, Page 7

ACROSS THE TASMAN

FLIGHT TO NEW ZEALAND.

TO TAKE PLACE AT WEEK-END TESTING THE ’PLANE. BY CABLE-PRESS ASSOCIATION—COPYRIGHT. .Received 12.5 p.m. to-day. SYDNEY, Jan. o. Captain Eight says that the flight to New Zealand will not be started before Saturday, at- the earliest, while, it maybe Sunday night before they get away. He expressed no fears regarding the ability of the machine to, make the distance. It Jiasi not yet been decided who should make the flight. The member el the team to drop out will not be decided till the afternoon before the flight. He stated that the reason for landing at Bong bong .on Tuesday was to, ascertain their position. They were flying strictly by 7 compass reckoning, in order to ascertain how the compass would behave on the journey across the Tasman. They took no notice of the. railway lines o,r other landmarks. When they saw a high mountain they thought it was the Blue Mountains, but later found it to, be Mt. Bowral. The only thing that went wrong on the flight was the wireless apparatus. The airmen express gratification to the Rt. Hon. S. M. Bruce, for withdrawing the prohibition of the flight. They said : “We realise that we are making the flight at our own responsibility 7 and without, in any way involving either the Australian or the Now Zealand Governments.”