NEW ZEALANDER TO FLY TASMAN

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 July 1933, Page 2

NEW ZEALANDER TO FLY TASMAN

In Smithy’s New Plane

SQUADRON-LE \ DER W3i! TE

CHOSEN

WELLINGTON, Last' Night,

Sir Charles Kingsford Smith chosen Squadron-Leader W. White, chief pilot of New Zealand Airways, to lly the Australian-built monoplane across the Tasman in December.

Making an announcement to this effect to-day, Mr. B. .Shiel, aviation officer of the Vacuum Oil Company, said the r '"hine will bo a six-passen-ger twin-engined monoplane to be built at Cockatoo Island, Sydney, and will be registered as the first of the ‘ ‘ Codock ’ ’ type. It will be of Fokker design, powered with two Napier Javelin engines each power. It. w ; ll have a wing spread of 52 feet and an ovei’-all length of 85 feet.

With either engine stopped the machine will be able to,fly- for at least 800 miles. The top speed of the machine will be 140 miles per hour with a cruising speed of 125 miles per hour. Its range with a full pay load will be 1000 miles. By installing extra petrol tanks in place of passenger accommodation an ocean flight of 2000 miles will oe possible. It is expected the machine will bo completed in November, said Mr. Shiel, and although it will be' rigidly tested in Sydney the first commercial test will be the flight across the Tasman in formation with the Southern Cross. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith is conducting a competition among school children for an Australian name for the new monoplane. It is expected after the tour of New Zealand that he will enter a tender for the Australian-Singapore section of the England to Australia air service.

Squadron-Leader White is a wellknown Nciv Zealand pilot. He enlisted in 1914 and served in Gallipoli, transferring to the Royal laying Corps in October, 1916. He served in the East until a forced landing behing the enemy lines in July, 1917, made him a prisoner until the Armistice. Adopting aviation as a profession Mr. White did some pioneer flying in Fiji, including a considerable amount of aerial survey work. At the commencement of the Aero Club movement in New Zealand he was appointed pilotinstructor to the Hawke’s Bay Club and later joined New Zealand Airways, Ltd., in Timaru as chief pilot. In this capacity he has done a considerable amount to assist in the exploration of Central Otago, and during the tour of the Southern Cross at the beginning of the year he flew the Southern Cross “kitten,” a tender machine, for the latter portion of the tour. He commands the No. 4 Army Co-operation Squadron of the New Zealand Air Force. Kingsford Smith’s Latest Pirns AFTER ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA RECORD SYDNEY, July 12. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith has abandoned his proposal to fly to England at the end of August, but he will go either by steamer or air mail from Batavia. Smithy will fly a Percival Gull monoplane back to Australia, and, should circumstances permit, will endeavour to make an England-Australia record.

Help for Aviation

CANBERRA, July 12. For the encouragement of private aviation enterprises in the current financial year the Federal Cabinet has allotted £SOOO, £3OOO to be used at the discretion -of the Minister of Defence to relieve the difficulties under «vmcu a number of 1 enterprises are working, and £2OOO specifically for aerial oil survey. Astraea Completes Another Stage Received Wednesday. 9 p.m. BATAVIA, July 12. The British air-liner, Astraea, arrived at Muntok at 9.30 this morning, en route to England.