ARRIVAL AT MELBOURNE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIV, Issue 284, 29 October 1934, Page 7

ARRIVAL AT MELBOURNE.

WELCOME BY NEW ZEALANDERS

A SPLENDID FEAT. MELBOURNE, Oct. 28. Reaching Melbourne at 7.55 a.m. to-day the New Zealanders, Squad-ron-Leader M. C. McGregor, and Mr H. C. Walker, were the fifth to finish in the Centenary air race. Lack of news of their whereabouts on Friday night caused some misgivings, but they were at Brunette Downs, where there is no radio communication, having been 'held up by dust storms. They spent Saturday night at Narromine, and then flew to Melbourne early this morning. There were only a few people at Laverton aerodrome to welcome McGregor and Walker. Those present included Mr W. G. Black, vice-presi-dent of the Manawatu Aero Club, Mr R. M. Firth, New Zealand Government representative, Colonel Helier Evans, president of the New Zealand Returned Soldiers’ Association, Messrs A. E. Fraser and L. L. Beeson, representing the New Zealand Association at Melbourne, Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P., Mayor of Christchurch, Rev. E. T. Cox, Mayor of Dunedin, Flight-Lieut. Buckley, New Zealand Air Force, Mr N. C. Chandler, instructor to the Marlborough Aero Club, and Mr J. G. Armstrong, a New Zealand pilot. When the tiny machine was wheeled into the hangar the spectators laughed as it was accommodated under one wing of Parmentier’s machine. “Just a trip,” was McGregor’s comment. “The weather was bad after Darwin and we lost a lot of time trying to follow the tracks people advised us to watch for.. These usually petered out at a vaterhole.” Walker added: “The cowling worried the life out of us. Every time we stopped we had to repair it instead of resting.” Both pilots are well but burned by exposure to the wind and sun, the machine being the only one in the race with an open cockpit. Though the handicap points will not be calculated for more than a week yet, McGregor, on account of the smallness of his machine and his good time, is expected to be high on the list, notwithstanding the delay at Brunette Downs. Their time for the whole journey was 7 days 14 hours 58 minutes. DIFFICULT SECTION.

The airmen left Darwin at 9 a.m. on Friday, and reached Newcastle Waters, 384 miles away, at 2 p.m. They stayed the night at Brunette Downs, and arrived at Cloncurry at 10.14 a.m. on Saturday. From there they went on to Charleville, landing at 3.28 p.m., and departing at 4.9 p.m. They reached Narromine at 9 p.m. on Saturday. “Where are Hewett and Kay,” asked McGregor when lie landed at Cioncurry, adding: “We must not allow them to beat us.” He said they stayed at Brunette Downs to avoid the possibility of being lost in the duststorms raging during the night. “This is the hardest section of the flight,” lie said. “The engine cowling gave trouble but, after making an oilscreen from a kerosene tin to prevent oil clouding the drift indicator, we were able to get away.” Explaining at Cliarlevile the delay between Darwin and that town, McGregor said : ‘ ‘The weather was clear when we left Darwin, but we ran into bad dust-storms just before reaching Newcastle Waters. They were not bad enough to detain us there, so we took off tor Cloncurry. As we proceeded flying conditions gradually became worse and at times it was impossible to see more than a few yards ahead. We had passed Brunette Downs when the visibility became so bad that it was impossible to proceed further. Consequently we returned and landed at the station. The country between Darwin and Charleville is difficult for flying at any time, and. with bad weather conditions ahead we would have run a serious risk of crashing if we had tried to proceed. Consequently we spent the night at Brunette Downs.” MODEST PILOT.

The modesty of the New Zealanders created an impresion here. McGregor, when told by the Mayor that he was a hero, replied: “Oh, no! There is nothing at all like that about'it. lam just an ordinary sort of chap who happens to earn his living by flying.” The Miles -Hawk looks quite sturdy, yet almost a cheeky, little craft, when mentally compared with some of the larger and more powerful planes. Commenting on the arrival of Hewett’s, McGregor’s, and White’s planes the Sunday Sun says: “Who said kiwis can’t fly? Between Darwin and Narromine the air is thick with New Zealanders.”