“GOOD FUN”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXI, Issue 280, 10 November 1931, Page 7

“GOOD FUN”

RECORD FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA BUTLER’S EXPERIENCES. NOT FATIGUED IN THE SLIGHTEST. (United Press Association—By CableCopyright.) (Received 10, 10.30 a.m.) Darwin, Nov. 10. Mr. Charles A. Butler, who broke the record for a flight from England to Australia, is leaving at daylight to-day for Newcastle Waters. Interviewed, no said that tho trip was most enjoyable and that ho was not fatigued in the slightest. Ho had little adventure on the flight, though ho was held up for half a day at Brindisi by the police, had 16 gallons of petrol stolen at Akyab and had the magneto tampered with at Naples. He was also quarantined for one night at Jask on account of cholera at Basra, his previous stopping place. Ho could have made a much faster trip if he had had moonlit nights all the way, but he would not risk disaster by flying in the dark. The worst part was between Allahabad and Calcutta. Monsoon rains forced the Dutch air mail to remain on the ground, and the Calcutta aerodrome was under water when he took off. "The trip was good fun,” he concluded. AIR COUNCIL’S CONGRATULATIONS. (Received 10, 12.30 p.m.) Rugby, Nov. 9. Lord Londonderry, the British Air Minister, sent a message of warmest congratulations on be' alf of the Air Council to Mr. Charles A. Butler on the completion of his splendid flight and on the establishing of a new record from England to Australia. Butler’s official time was 9 days, 2 hours 29 minutes from Lympne to Port Darwin and he therefore beat the existing record by 1 hour 42 minutes. HINKLEB OFF AGAIN. (Received 10, 9.15 a.m.) Kingston, Nov. 9. After being delayed for almost a week due to bad flying weather, Bert Hinkler took off from Maracaibo en route for Para, Brazil. DESIGN OF BRITISH AIR LINERS. (Received 10, 12.30 p.m.) Rugby, November 9. A notable departure in the design of British air liners will be made with the fleet c- eight four-engined ArmstrongSiddeley monoplanes which have been ordered by Imperia) Airways for the Cairo to Capetown route. Hitherto the British air liners have been biplanes. The new air liners, with a speed of 145 miles an hour, will be Hie fastest of their kind in the world. The wings and body of each machine will be made entirely of strip steel.