CHICHESTER RECOVERING.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 221, 19 August 1931, Page 7

CHICHESTER RECOVERING.

’PLANE’S ENGINE NOT DAMAGED. TOKIO, Aug. 18. It is stated that Mr F. C. Chichester is making favourable progress and will be walking in a few days. The New Zealander's machine is wrecked beyond repair, but the engine is not damaged. INTREPID AIRMAN. REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS. Mr Francis C. Chichester was born in England in 1900. Coming to New Zealand, he took up a business career and eventually became a director of five companies. In the summer of 1929 he visited England and while there became interested in flying. Joining tho London Aeroplane Ciub, lie spent about three months in learning to handle a machine and studying the problems of air travel. His object was not revealed until December 20. At 3 a.m. lie arrived at the Croydon Aerodrome and, stating casually that he was going to start at once to fly home to New Zealand, ordered out his Moth aeroplane, took on 30 gallons of petrol and went off. He. had planned the flight carefully, but secretly. His hope was to beat Mr Bert Hinkler’s record of 15f days from England to Australia. About 10 a.m. Ire was at Lyons and two hours later left for Tunis whence he flew to Tripoli.

There bad luck and bad news awaited the flier. Not only did his machine suffer serious damage in landing, but be also received a message from New Zealand announcing the death of his wife. He was delayed for some time, but eventually landed at Darwin on January 26, 1930. Deducting the time lost in Tripoli, he had done the journey in 17 days, his actual flying time being 182 J hours. The airman came hack to New Zealand by steamer from Australia. Then, on March 28 last, he left Hobsonvillo to fly to Sydney, via Norfolk Island. He reached the island eleven hours later. Next morning he was unable to rise and a cross-bracing stay of his D.H. Motli machine, Madame Elijah, was broken. This was repaired, but his machine was much damaged at Lord Howe Island and he was detained there for many weeks while his machine was being reconditioned. Ultimately he completed the trans-Tas-man flight on June 6, landing at Jervis Bay, 80 miles south of Sydney. On July 3 Mr Chichester left Sydney for Brisbane on a flight to England via Japan. He carried messages from the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand to the Prime Minister of Japan. From Brisbane he flew to Thursday Island and thence to Leyte Island, Philippines, where he landed on July 13. His next stops were at Ormuc and Masbate Island. Engine trouble delayed Iris departure from Masbate, but lie landed at Manila on July 17. At Manila Mr Chichester met with difficulties in arranging landing places in Japan. The Japanese Government refused him permission to use the landing fields specified in his original itinerary. He then continued his flight by way of Aparri, on the north Ccoast of Luzon Island. He crossed the mountains and jungles of Luzon Island and landed his seaplane at the mouth of the Gagavan River on August 3. Two days later he was reported to have passed over Karer.ko and Taihoku and to have landed at Tamsui, in the north-west of Formosa. He was delayed owing to sliglrt damage to one of the floats of his seaplane. On August 7he passed over Shanghai at 4.15 a.m. and landed at Woosung, 14 miles further on. Last Thursday Mr Chichester left Shanghai for Kagoshima, Japan, and arrived there the same evening. On the last lap of his flight, on August 15, he encountered difficulties and crashed.