AIRMEN'S SUCCESS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 63, 10 February 1933, Page 7

AIRMEN'S SUCCESS

LONG DISTANCE RECORD. ENGINE RUNS PERFECTLY. PETROL NOT EXHAUSTED. (United Press Association —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) Received February 10, 9.50 a.m. LONDON, Feb. 9.

Squadron-Leader Gayford, tvlio, with Flight-Lieutenant Nicholettes, established a new non-stop record of 57 hours 25 minutes, landing at Walvis Bay, on the coast of Africa, has cabled to the Air Ministry as follows: “After the failure of the automatic control we flew almost completely blind with only brief glimpses of the moon. It was impossible to get the horizon. We landed with 10 gallons of petrol. The engine was faultless throughout. We experienced no qualms.” His Majesty the King, the Prime Minister, Mr Ramsay MacDonald, Lord Londonderry (Secretary for Air), the Air Council, Lord Amulroo, and the Fairey Company have cabled congratulations to the aviators. BAD WEATHER ' ENCOUNTERED.

FLYING BLIND FOR LONG PERIOD. (British Official Wireless.) Received February 10, 12 noon. RUGBY, Feb. 9.. Later details of the record long distance flight show that the airmen encountered very bad weather over Africa and for a long time flew blind through rain and haze. A dense desert dust storm put the automatic control mechanism out of action during the night, and strong head winds were encountered throughout the following day. Although the airmen had a certain quantity of petrol left which would have enabled a further distance to have been covered, it was desired to make a landing during tlie daylight. They had actually passed Walvis Bay and were about 200 miles nearer Capetown when they decided to return. In three successive years Britain lias now captured the world’s records for speed, height and distance.

This is the first occasion on which th'e distance record hffc been won by Great Britain, whereas r ranee, which has held it on six occasions, contests every other nation’s challenge. The progress of the distances achieved by the various successful aviators is shown in the following table: — Miles. 1925 (Feb.).—France: Lemaitre and Arrachard, l’aris-Villa de Cisneros 1979 1926 (Juno). —France: Arrachard and Arrachard, Paris-Basra 2757 1926 (July). —France: Girier and Dordilly, Paris-Omsk ■2940 1926 (Aug.).—France Challo and Weiser, l’aris-Bundar Abbas 3250 1926 (Oct.). —Franco: Costcs and Rigruot, Paris-J ask 3390 1927 (May).—U.S.A.: Lindbergh, Now York-Paris 3639 1927 (June). —Chamberlain and Levine, New York-Eisloben 3905 1928 (July).—ltaly: Ferrarin and Del Proto, Rome-Natal, Brazil 4761 1929 (Sept.).—France: Costes and Bellontc, Paris-Aloulort, Manchuria 4909 1931 (July).—U.S.A.: Boardman and Polando, New York-Istanbul ... 4984 1933 (Feb.). —Great Britain: Gayford and Nicholette, Cranwell-Zesfon-toin 5300

British pilots and British machines now hold the ’three chief air records of the world:—

Speed—4o7.s m.p.h., Flight-Lieutenant G. 11. Stainforth. Height—4s,976ft., Captain C. F. Uwins. Distance- —5300 miles, Squadron-Leader O. R. Gayford and Flight-Lieutenant Nicholette. MR MOLLISON REACHES BRAZIL. ATLANTIC CROSSED SAFELY. Received February 10, 9.50 a.m. NATAL, Brazil, Feb. 9. Mr J. A. Mollisoii, who left Lympne at daybreak on Monday to fly to South America, landed here at 6 p.m.

Mr Mollison flew from Lympne to Thies, the aerodrome inland from the port of Dakar, French Senegal, and thence across the Atlantic. The distance covered was about 4800 miles. Mr Mollison is the only aviator to accomplish a solo westward crossing of both the North and South Atlantic, and he has made the first flight in history between England and South America.