FLYING DUCHESS

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 13 August 1929, Page 5

FLYING DUCHESS

NEW RECORD MADE.

RETURN PLIGHT TO INDIA

TRIP TAKES 71 DAYS

! (British Official Wireless.) I RUGBY, Aug. 10. In flying to India and back in. 71 days, tiie Duchess of Bedford and Captain C. D. Barnard, her pilot, have surpassed tho previous record tor the double journey by no loss than 7.V days, the voyage of AAr Vice-Marshall Sir Yyeli Yyvyan, Director of Imperial Airways, last year. On the return journey the duchess established a new record for the flight from India, to England, which was accomplished in 3i days, as compared with 4 1-8 days taken by Captain .Barnard and Flying Officer Ailiott in the same machine fast year. The record for the .England to India, journey still stands to the credit of two Royal Air Force pilots, who flew from Oraimvelll, Lincolnshire, to Karachi this year, making a non-stop flight of oOi- hours.

The Fokker monoplane, Spider, in which the duchess and Captain Barnard have accomplished their remark - alble performance, As now nearly siix years old. It was originally acquired

far the abortive trans-Atlantic crossing attempt of Captain Mclntosh and Colonel Fitzmaurice. For this last flight its speed has been consider ably increased by the fitting of a new type of 500 h.p. geared Bristol Jupiter air-cooled engine. The actual flying time for the journey of 10,000 miles was BSY hours. The stages of the flight were: Friday, August 2.—Lympue to Sofia. 1350 miles. Saturday.—Sofia- to Aleppo, Syria, 850 miles. Sunday.—Aleppo to Bushire, Persia. 1090 miles. Monday.—-Biushiro to Karachi, lo<iol miles. Tuesday.-—Karachi fo Bushire. Wednesday.—ißushi.ro to Aleppo. Thursday.—Aleppo to Sofia.. Friday. August 9.—Sofia, to Croydon. The start was made at dawn each day from the respective stopping places, and flying occupied sometimes as much as 15 hours before the aviators landed for a, brief night’s rest. . Captain Barnard, in his log, remarks that the duchess frequently took complete control of the plane while lie and the mechanic, Air Bob Little, slept. He says : “I usually put her on a compass course and then would go hack into the cabin with perfect confidence. I know many good pilots who are quite incapable of steering a good course by compass, but the duchess has so far not made a single mistake. In fact, instead of being a. passenger she has been a trenmenclous help fo ns on the flight,”