FLYING-BOAT CRUISE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXIV, Issue 98, 9 April 1934, Page 9

FLYING-BOAT CRUISE

R.A.F. Singapore Squadron VISIT TO U.S. TERRITORY British Official Wireless Service. RUGBY, April 6. The flying-boat squadron which leit Singapore early this week is engaged on a cruise which will last about five weeks and will include halts of a week in Manila, in the Philippines, and 10 days at Hongkong, fihis will be the first time a Royal Air Force squadron has visited United States territory. The flight is being made by members of the squadron which has made many long-distance formation flights. In 1927-28 it made a cruise of miles, and in 1932 made another cruite of 20,000 miles, ft is equipped with Southampton twin-engined flyit.gboats, which have proved of great value in flights where thorn arc no natural landing grounds and the preparation of aerodromes is costly and difficult. On the way to the Philippines, where three calls will be made, the tlj lagboats will alight at Sibu, in Borneo, and after the visit to Hongkong thev will make their way to the Federated Malay States by way ol .the Portugese possession of Macao and three ports in French Indo-China The last call before returning to the base a‘Singapore will be Koda Eahruein, in the Federated Malay States. The longest section of the trip will bo between the Philippin e and Hongkong, a distance of 500 miles ever open sea.