AVIATION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVIII, Issue 225, 5 September 1928, Page 5

AVIATION

ATTEMPT TO BEAT SPEED RECORD BRITISH MACHINE BEING TUNED UP. SUCCESSFUL TESTS. (British Official Wireleia.l (Received 5, 11.15 a.m.) Rugby, Sept. 4. Preparations for the British attempt to beat the world’s air speed record of 318 miles an hour set up by the Italian, Major de Barnardi, are nearly complete. The attempt will bo made at Calshot by Flight-Lieutenant D’Arcy Greig in about three weeks’ time, over the course along which Flight-Lieutenant Kinkead was flying when he w’as killed in his attempt to break the record last year. Flight-Lieutenant Greig is carrying out an exhaustive test with the supermarine Napier seaplane 5.5, which is to make the flight. The machine is of the same type as that used by FlightLieutenant Webster when he won the Schneider trophy last year, and the machine was actually taken to Venice with the other British ’planes as a reserve for the race.

The aeroplane has, in the language of the Royal Air Force, been “cleaned up’’ with a view to increasing its maximum speed, and has already reached a speed of 317 miles an hour without being all out. It is hoped that a speed of between 325 and 330 miles an hour will be reached during the official test. PLANS FOR ENDURANCE TESTS. Another interesting development in British aviation is shortly expected. The assembly stage is now being reached in the attempt to evolve British aircraft capable of remaining in the air for 3 days and 3 nights continuously, and by the end of this month preliminary flight tests may be made. The machine, which is a Fairey-Napier monoplane, is being fitted with the latest Napier Lion engine, and represents a departure from the general British practice, in that the monoplane form instead of the biplane has been chosen. The present endurance record, held by Germany was set up in July, when Risticz and Zimmerman in a Junkers monoplane, remained in the air for 65] hours. While, in a sense, the British experiment is a challenge to the foreign endurance records, it is understood that the main purpose of the Air Ministry is to further the research into long endurance flights which may have great practical value in view of the scattered strategic bases of the Empire. AUSTRALIAN AIR SMASH. MECHANIC SUCCUMBS TO INJURIES. ’ (Australian and N.Z. Preus Assn.) (Received 5, 9.45 a.m.) Adelaide, Sept. 5. George Nutson has succumbed. His companion, Captain Scott, behaved heroically. Although himself badly injured he dragged Nution from the burning ‘plane, then walked a long distance through chops and across boggy country to a lonely farmhouse where he obtained assistance. The accident was due to bad visibility, tire aeroplane striking a hilltop.

A previous report stated: An aeroplane travelling from Melbourne to Adelaide crashed 14 miles outside Adelaide. The pilot, Captain Scott, and the mechanic, George Nutson, were injured, the latter seriously. U.S. AIR MAIL 'PLANE CRASHES PILOT AND SEVEN PASSENGERS KILLED, Australian Press Assn -Pnl’ed Serviced (Received 5. 12.49 p.m.) . New York, Sept. 4. A message from Salt Lake City states that the pilot and seven passengers, including two women and one boy, were killed in an air mail aeroplane crash at Pocatello, Idaho, to-day. FRENCH FLYING VENTURE. I Australian Press Aasn.-United Service.! Paris, Sept. 4. Assolant and le Fevre took off from Toulon at seven this morning. Till the last minute their plans were uncertain. It is understood they are going to the Azores, subsequently continuing their route, according to the weather. If bad they will possibly fly to Dakar. QUEER EXTRA PASSENGER. Austra-iutl Press Aier ' ■ 'led Service. Paris, Sept. 4. Assolant and le Fevre are both arniv sergeants. Their machine is called “L'Otseau Jaune” (The Yellow Bird). As they were about to start a figure clad in a sweater was seen in the cabin. It was a mysterious Monsieur Lotti, who entered unnoticed and hid during the starting preparations. The Ushnnt wireless station broadcasts n message asking ships at sen to report the machine's progress and assist if necessary. The message says the ’plane is following a route to Cape Finisterre, the Azores, Halifax and New York. NOT A STOWAWAY. ACTUAL FINANCIER OF FLIGHT I United Press Association—By Cable— Copyright! (Australian and N.Z. Pres# Assn.J (Received 5, 1.30 p.m.) Paris, Sept. 4. Lotti is not a stowaway but is the sou of the proprietor of the Hotel Lotti and is the actual financier of the Hight. He masqueraded under the name of “Levy” to deceive his father, who regards the flight as suicidal and employed private detectives to watch his son's movements. It transpires that he entered the 'plane nt night time and slept on the floor of the enhin. watching Le Bourget were relieved at not seeing him attempting to enter. When the 'plane was rising Lotti appeared and Waved his cap to the astonished detectives.