ENGLAND ON SATURDAY.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 March 1938, Page 5

ENGLAND ON SATURDAY.

< CLOUSTON'S AMBITIOUS PROJECT. SAFE ARRIVAL AT DARWIN ('By Telegraph-Press Assn.-Copyright) SYDNEY, March 22.

I Flying-Officer A. E. Clouston and his companion, Mr. Victor A. Eicketts, arrived at Darwin at 2.30 this afternoon. The airmen will probably have a long sleep and continue the flight at daybreak to-morrow. Earlier messages stated that advice had been received that Mr. Clouston landed at Charleville at 6.53 this morning.

When the fliers left Mascot at 3.39 o'clock this morning for" Darwin the weather was perfectly calm.

Mr. Clouston said that on his return flight to England ho would follow the same route as on the outward journey, but that the hops would be shortened to between 1500 and ISOO miles each. The machine so far had flown 14,200 miles in SI hours 48 minutes actual flying time, and he still had about 11,600 miles to go on the return to Gravesend. Eoughly four days remained for him to complete the flight in the originally scheduled time of 10 days. The airmen had several hours' sleep in the city last night, and arrived at the aerodrome early this morning, inspected their machine, took their places in the cabin, waved to a couple of hundred spectators, and took off. ! With five records in hand, they hope to establish more on the return flight to London. "We hope to be in England on Saturday afternoon,'' said Mr. Clouston before leaving Mascot. Mr. Eicketts, discussing the New Zealand flight, said, "The, reception we had at Blenheim was really grand—it was worth coming across the woiM to set Mr. Clouston's family." The Premier, Mr. B. S. B. Stevens, said, "Mr. Clouston has made a truly magnificent flight. Both Mr. Clouston, and Mr. Eicketts carry back to England the warmest wishes of all Australians." Mr. Clouston's official time of arrival from New Zealand was 3.58 i p.m., v Inch means that he broke the record ,by 1 hour 33 minutes. Mr. Clouston's time was 8 hours 27 minutes.

Bad weather over the greater part of the Tasman Sea delayed the airmen, but the machine behaved excellently. The total time since the departure of the 'plane till the return to Sydney was 33* hours.

Mr. Clouston said the return trip should have taken about seven hours, but the coast of New Zealand was under low clouds and heavy rain was falling when they ieft. Strong head winds Avere encountered most of the way across.