AVIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 30 April 1931, Page 6

AVIATION

AIR MAILS

ARRIVAL AT SYDNEY

(Australian Press Association)

SYDNEY, April 29

The first English air mail arrived at Sydney by the air liner, Southern Sim to-day. This opens a now era in -Imperial communications The trip of the mails has occupied twenty-five days.

The Melbourne portion of the mail was transferred to the Southern Star which is expected to arrive at that city this evening.

NEWS OF AIR MATL

SYDNEY, April 29

With the arrival at Sydney of the first British air mails, which event was marked by an interesting official ceremony at the Mascot Aerodrome, tin evening press here printed a series or splendid pictures of aeroplane activity at Darwin and KPopang, and also of the badly-damaged “City of Cairo” plane. Tho group of phot.ogrn.phs was one showing the pilots of the ill-fated air liner, the Dutch officials, the natives, afnd tRe inhospitable scene < the crash at Koepaiig. Tho “Sun” also publishes an epitome of news from London papers of th ■ date of tin; “City of Cairo’s” departure, April 4th, for Australia. One item relates to the' purchase bv Queen Alary of an attractive painting of S't Johns. Westminister, by Mr J. H. Young, who is described ay a former member of tho staff of the New Zealand Press Association in Sydney. MAILS REACH MELBOURNE. MELBOURNE. April 29. The Southern Star, with the British air mail, arrived hero at 3.d0 p.m. THE SOUTHERN CROSS. SOUR A BAA'A, April 29 Tho Southern Cross yesterday a I ternoon was welcomed here by a large crowd. She started Tor Singapore this' morning. The plane struck some mud at th*' starting. With the assistance of soldiers she finally got away at 0.10 a.m. local time. NEW RECORD SOUGHT. TO AUSTRALIA AND RACK. LONDON, April 21). Captain Neville Stack, with -J. RChaplin, in an open two-seater plane, has left Lyinpie at daybreak to-day in an endeavoYu*’ to fly to Australia and hack in twenty-one days. STACK’S OBJECT STATED. LONDON. April 20. Stack’s machine will lake the route cabled on March lltu. The plane-"'is a Vickers-Napier machine. capable of 13d miles hourly. Tt is being used as a. mail carrier, to demonstrate that an air mail is possible to Australia in ten days and bank to London in 21 day**, flying from dawn til! dusk.

Interviewed before starting. Stack said: “Kidstou ha s shown the British Post Office how the air mail services to South Africa can be improved. We hope to point the. same lesson, and even go a stage further. We may beat Scott’s magnificent i-ecord outward flight, but it is not our object. Our motive really is to demonstrate the logout necessity of regular an ( [ fast

service with the Eastern portions of the Empire. It is useless using i-iim-I’jii's.tivelv sjow machines for mails.” lie said ii was possible to run a regular mail service to Australia in ten days, instead of the present fifteen da vs for the experimental schedule. “What a single machine can accomnlisli.” lie added, “relays of men and machines'; can outdo easily.” The other flyer. Chaplin, was aide-de-camp to Lord Byiig when he was Governor-General of Canada. He conn's from a millionaire Vancouver family.

SOUTHERN CLOUD

FINDING OF ENQUIRY

SYDNEY, April 29

The report of the Committee which inquired into the loss ol the Southern Cloud finds that no blame is attachable to any person connected with the Australian National Airways. The Southern Cloud wins airworthy, and properly eared for, and all reasonable precautions were taken to ensure the safety of the passengers. The Committee, however, recommends that wireless facilities he provided along the route traversed by the air liners engaged in regular commercial services.