AERIAL SURVEY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 47, Issue 2666, 6 September 1937, Page 7

AERIAL SURVEY

THE MACKAY EXPEDITION FLIGHT OVER RED SAND DESERT THE NAVIGATOR’S STORY. Writing to the Sydney Morning Herald from Roy Hill, Western Australia, on August 4, Commander Bennett, Navigator of the Mackay Aerial Expedition, says:

Since leaving Sydney the aerial survey expedition has flow 8500 miles. The most recent flight was over desert country, in the red sand of which even desert vegetation could not grow. At 8.30 a.m. on Saturday the Dragon Fly, carrying Mr Mackay and Commander Bennett, and piloted by Captain Frank Neale, took off from Tanami with a full load. Captain Neale lifted her off easily with a run of under 600 yards. A course was set for Roy Hill (W.A.) at a height of between 3000 and 4000 feet. The Government meteorologist at Darwin, Mr Dwyer, supplied a comprehensive weather report on the whole route. The winds were favourable, but light, and his forecast proved reliable and extremely accurate.

The Musgrave ranges were crossed, ail' conditions being very steady. Gregory’s salt sea, which is usually dry, was full of water.

Later, the chain of dry salt lakes discovered by Mr Mackay in 1933, was reached. They were named Percival, after the designer of the aircraft used by the expedition in that year. The lakes appear to be slightly further south than they appear on the map. They presented a fine sight in the sunlight, with red sandhills all round. The plane crossed Lake Dora at noon. Strange to say, the tracks of a car were seen, having crossed the middle of the lake. The position, as determined in 1933, was correct. Shortly after crossing Lake Dora the weather became rough, causing many big bumps, which the Dragon Fly rode perfectly. Conditions were very bumpy when crossing the many chains of ranges east of Roy Hill. At 1 o’clock a rabbitproof fence was crossed. The plane passed 10 miles north of Balfour Downs homestead. Ethel Creek was reached at 1.30, and the course was altered to Roy Hill, where after circling the homestead twice, a landing was made at the aerodrome used by the expedition in 1933, and now fully licensed. There was a great reception from old friends at Roy Hill, and members of the expedition were delighted to get clean clothes after the dust of Tanami together with the attention of numerous flies. Bradshaw, formerly a stockman at Roy Hill, and who is now on Nullagine Road Board, gave help as a barber, with disastrous results to the navigator, of the plane, whose head he close cropped to the point of being shaved.

The machine was fuelled to full capacity, ready for an early start on Sunday. We left Roy Hill at 8 a.m., and set a course for Wiluna District, 272 miles away, where we landed at 10.20, after flying against a strong-head-wind. Wireless Breakdown. We took off again at 11 o’clock, flying- to the east and north of Lake Carnegie, to a distance of 281 miles, which fills in the gap felt between the 1933 and the 1935 work. The trip was uneventful, and, except for a salt lake area, uninteresting. The plane returned to Wiluna at 4.10 p.m. The machine was secured for.the night, and the party stayed at the Club Hotel.

We have been unable to use the wireless since leaving Tanami owing to a breakdown in the transformer, which takes too much load from the aircraft battery.

Mr “Texas” Green. M.P., arrived by the road mail on a tour of his con the road mail on a tour of his con-

stituency. He was much interested in the work of the expedition.