AROUND THE WORLD

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XX, Issue 192, 4 August 1930, Page 9

AROUND THE WORLD

ATTEMPT TO RE-GAIN RECORD AMERICAN’S OBJECTIVE. A BAD START. (United Press Assoclation-By CableCopyright.] New York, Aug. 2. John Honry Mears, famed as a globe trotter, in an endeavour to regain the round-the-world record taken by the Graf Zeppelin, left Roosevelt tleld this morning for Harbour Grace in the Ix>ckbeed-Vega cabin monoplane “City of New York,” with H. J. Brown as pilot. A Sealyham terrier accompanies them. Mears, who made records in 1923 and 1928. now hopes to fly around the world in 20 days, thus beating the Graf Zeppelin’s twenty-three days fifteen hours. The City of New York is fitted with high wings and a 424 horsepower Wasp motor. It has a flying range of eighteen hours, 2500 miles, and a cruising speed of 150 miles an hour. The flight is expected to take from fifteen to twenty days. A message from Harbour Grace states that Mears arrived there this afternoon. He leaves to-night or tomorrow for Baldonnel. WRECKED AT THE TAKE-OFF. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) Harbour Grace, Aug. 3. In an attempted take-off for Dublin Mears’ ’plane was wrecked just off the airport. Neither Mears nor the pilot, Brown, was injured. The mishap, which occurred early this morning, was due to a landing gear tyre being punctured. It was in 1911, when Andre Jaeger-Schmidt, a Parisian, beat the previous record by travelling around the world in 39 days 19 hours 42 minutes and 38 seconds, that Mr. Mears first decided to try for the. record because he thought “the United States should hold all world speed records,” states the Christian Science Monitor. In 1913 he won the record for America by making the trip in 35 days 21 hours and 36 minutes. Aviation was in its infancy then and Mr. Mears made the journey practically entirely by land and water transportation. He did. however, fly for one short leg of his trip—down Budget Sound. The flight was made in a small seaplane, and, since there was only room enough inside for the pilot, Mr. Mears sat on the wing and held on to the struts while the little craft covered the distance at a speed of about equal to that of a local train on a suburban line. “I’m sure it couldn’t have gone faster than 30 oi 40 miles an hour,” Mr. Mears declared. “for 1 wouldn’t have been able to hold on to the wing if it had.” Mr. Mears’ record held until 1926, when Edward S. Evans and Linton Wells clipped 7 days and 7 hours from his time schedule by flying for nearly one-third of the distance. Two years later Mr. Mears and Capt. C. B. D. Collyer reduced this time by nearly five days, "flying across Europe and Asin.

“If we have perfect flying weather, we could make the entire trip in 14 or 15 days.” Mr. Mears said. “But we are likely to run into many weather handicaps at this time of the year.” The entire adventure is just a “sporting proposition,” Mr. Mears declared, and he is not commercialising it in any way. The romance of establishing the world record for the United States is the only reward ho seeks, although there may be some “literary value in the experience for newspaper and magazine articles.” Mr. Mears is not an experienced pilot, having but 20 flying hours to his credit. His new Lockheed Vega monoplane is fitted with a Wasp motor and equipped alternately to alight on land and on water. It has a fuel capacity of 150 gallons, which will keep it in the air for 18 hours and permit a cruising range of 2700 miles. His route was to cover 19.000 miles as follows: Roosevelt Field, N.Y.: Harbour Grace, N.F.; Valencia, Ire.: Southampton, Eng.; Berlin. Ger.; Moscow. Rus.; Nova Silvisk, Chita, and Khabpjrovak, Siberia; Petropavlosk. Kamchatka, and east over the Pacific, following the Aleutian Islands to Seward. Alaska; Seattle, Wash., to Roosevelt Field. CUNNINGHAM'S FLIGHT. (United Press Association—By Cable— Copyright.] Sydney, August 3. The flier Cunningham was exp'ected to reach Camooweal last night from Cloncurry, which he left at 2.30 in the afternoon. The airman proposes to leave Wyndham next week for Bima, en route for England. GERMAN ATLANTIC FLIERS. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) London, August 3. The aii-men Wolfhirth and Weller arrived at Reykjavik after a cold trip. Altimeter repairs will entail a few days’ delay. They then expect to reach Labrador in 25 hours. AMY JOHNSON AT ATHENS. [United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) Athens, August 3. Miss Amy Johnson arrived, from Alexandria in an Imperial Airways machine, which was slightly delayed by head winds. Miss Johnson was warmly welcomed. She departed for silonika. THE RlOO. Washington, August 2. Secretary Adams stated that the facilities at Lakehurst were available for the use of the dirigible RlOO if hangar space was required to effect repairs. Reports from Montreal, however, indicate that RIOO’s officers hope such a move will prove unnecessary in order to fulfil the proposed Canadian schedule. A message from St. Hubert states that repairs to the stabilising fin of RlOO are well under way. while the ship is moored to a post 2)10 feet above ground. Windy weather is delaying progress. Meantime plans are indefinite for the Canadian trips. No date has been set for the return trip.