THE GREAT FLIGHT

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 162, 28 June 1930, Page 7

THE GREAT FLIGHT

"SMITHY’S” OWN STORY ‘‘THE FAITHFUL OLD BUS.” BUMPY FLYING. ’Special to Press Association—Copyright.) New York. June 26. Squadron-Leader C. E. Kingsford Smith’s own story of the Hight from Ireland to Newioundland is as under: “in the first place 1 want to say to everyone how glad we are to get here and how sorry we are that wo were delayed on the way. It is a dream long dreamed and finally realised. But let us go on to the flight itself. I will try to tell you as best I can how 1 felt when 1 opened up tho motors on the beach at Port Marnock. “Beside me, perched in front of the Fokker, was Van Dyk. Directly behind were four tons of petrol and behind that Saul and Stannage, 1 opened the engine and we started with a seven and a-half ton load very, very slowly. In split seconds the ship picked up speed. At the end of 3500 feet we were in the air. We went straight out to sea to the south, climbing slowly in a sweeping lefthand turn that must have been five miles across. At 1200 feet we had to come round into the west. We were at last on the course for America. “It took an hour and a-half to cross Ireland, and we saw very little of the Emerald Isle, but I was not paying much attention to scenery. It was bumpy flying, and I was busy enough keeping on the course, conserving every bit of petrol and flying a 3 economically as possible. STEADY RADIO BEARINGS. “We wore out to sea before we knew it. A hundred miles out we saw fishing boats and trawlers tossing on white capped waves. 1 have referred before to Stannage and expect to refer to him again many tunes before this story is told. His steady radio bearings were all that kept, us on the course. It seemed funny to Van Dyk and me to be taking orders from men we couldn’t see or talk to save by messages. "We had just got over the ocean when 1 turned over to Van Dyk. I took a bit of a rest, and am writing some of the log and personal messages, which we stuck on a stick with a paper clip at the end of it and shoved them back over the tanks, and Stannage did the rest. Now and then he sent us a message the same way. We had to push a button, which lit a red lamp in each compartment, to attract each other's attention. “We knew before we started that the engines would stay with us, and they did. We knew that we would get head winds, and we got them. But we did not anticipate delay in getting our bearings on js'orth America. That prevented u 3 setting the wheels of the faithful old machine on the soil of the United States without an intervening landing. That ’plane has carried me with the same motors 1 close to 80,000 miles since it left Oakland two years ago. It has flown all the oceans but the Polar oceans. It has carried me safely over the deserts of Australia, American jungles, India, Burmah, towns and cities of Europe, and still has a lot of flying left. “There are many things which I want to write and shall write before this story is done, but to-night, so soon after getting up here, they are pretty well mixed up in my mind. Those long hours of darkness, the dark ocean reaching up at us through the mist in the night, and the dim horizon line that kept climbing away from us, are all passing kaleidoscopically before my eyes now. After a bit of a wash, a shave, and some sleep I'll try to straighten some of these things out and write them down.” “BLIND FLYING IS NO FUN.” Van Dyk stated; “The real east to west trans-Atlantic 'plane route from Europe to America? No never I That is as impossible as the devil. Head winds all the way and fog. fog, fog. Perhaps the southern route by the Azores, but the north—No, no, no! Blind flying is no fun.’’ Colonel Fitzmaurice. of the Bremen, stated; “We had the same experience round Labrador. It is a

local condition prevalent there as well as in Newfoundland, and is due to the fact that the isogenic lines all converge towards Newfoundland, with tfie result that you get big changes in magnetic variations in short distances, making it impossible to make proper corrections for the difference between the true north and the magnetic north.” Saul stated that although he carried a photograph of his fiancee, Miss Zena Marchant, of Dublin, and had frequent memories of his daughter, Pat, he didn’t have much time to think. “I was too busy. No I didn’t get sleepy, and we had plenty to eat.’’ Stannage had little to say for himself, but: “That set is the finest thing I hove ever seen.” He admitted that he got a bit sleepy towards the end and his fist was a bit uncertain. THE OFFICIAL LOG. Kingsford Smith’s official log is as follows:— Dublin to New York, -June 23, 1930—Took off in about 3500 feet; climbed slowly and turned back over the land on course number five. Rain, low clouds and bumps, but looking better ahead. 6.30: Rain easing off; patches of sunlight showing with beautiful rainbow terming complete circle. 6 o’clock: Weather O.K. In sight of Irish coast. Revolutions 1760, speed 100, altitude 600 feet. 6.30; Head winds very strong. Galway Bay to right. 7 o’clock; Out of sight of land; really on the way. More rain squalls and head windsi 7.30. Strong westerlay; all confident. , 8 o’clock: Westerly wind very strong; ground speed reduced to 70. Just passed trawlers. 8.30; Fairly clear; westerly wind blowing like blazes. 9 o'clock. No change. Radio doing marvels; gives one nice feeling of not being alone. 9.30: Remarkably clear; wind seems to have diminished. / 10 o’clock; Weather beautiful now; seems to be rain ahead. 10.30; Cold, very overcast. Revolutions 1675, speed 100, altitude 400. 11 o’clock: Still foggy to the nine, but will keep log eastern Atlantic time. 1 p.m.; Old bus simply splendid, quite up to usual form. She must miss Charles Ulm. 2.45: Low clouds. 10.30; On the edge of the Grand Ban.,. 1 o'clock; Still foggy to the water. I a.m.: Still above fog. Smooth still, 6 o’clock; Greatly disappointed at landing at Harbour Grace. However, will till up there and go on same day if possible. II o’clock: Just about to come through clouds to Harbour Grace. AMERICAN CONGRATULATIONS. Washington, June 26. Upon the arrival of the Southern Cross at New York, Mr Davidson, Assistant Secretary for War, and Major-General Fechet, chief of tho Army Air Corps, telegraphed congratulations. Mr Davidson said: “Hearty congratulations on the splendid airmenship of yourself and your associates in piloting tho Southern Cross to the United States. In the successful completion of your flight you have made a new important entry in the international ocean airways log. Your pioneering effort has won world-wide acclaim and admiration.” General Fechet stated; “The United States Army Air Corps salutes you upon your splendid attainment, and welcomes the Southern Cross on her return to American soil. Congratulations to yourself and crew.’ l The “New York Morning World,” in a leader, states; “These fliers made the home run clean smash out of the park, and if there is one thing this country does not need to have explained to it it is the home run. We have a chance here to be glad, and God knows we need it. and we have a chance to extend a welcome to men who finished a pretty tough job, and they must need it, too.”