RETURN FLIGHT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 95, 21 March 1938, Page 10

RETURN FLIGHT.

DEPARTURE THIS MORNING. HEARTY SEND-OFF. BLENHEIM, March 21. Due to the slightly delayed departure of the Comet there was a very large crowd of spectators at the Marlborough aerodrome when Flying-Officer. (Houston and Mr Ricketts, the co-pilot, took off on their return flight to England, and also the attempt to break the record of I3J days from EnglandAustralia and return. The first report given was that the machine would i be leaving early in the morning, but later it was stated that the aeroplane would be taking off at 9 a.in. and all who could reach the aerodrome by car and had the opportunity to do so appeared to have hurried thence. The weather was dull and overcast in the morning, but when the machine left it had cleared to a considerable extent and there was a slight wind, while the visibility was fair. It is the intention of the visitors to fly over Nelson and Motueka on their way to the edge of the Tasman Sea. Very painstaking inspections were made by Flying-Officer Clouston, who went over the ’plane inspecting the engines, tanks, controls and especially the leading edges of the wings, which suffered through the battering effect of a hailstorm into which the Comet ran on the way to New Zealand. THE DEPARTURE. People scattered in all directions when the motors were started to warm them up, for the slip-stream threw a whirling mass of dust and small stones for a considerable distance behind the machine. Flving-Officer Clouston taxied the Comet out on to the ground and on bringing, it back he said farewell to the officials of the Aero Club and the ground engineers, who bad been working on his machine for most of the night, and bade good-bye to his mother, father and sisters. Mr Clouston said, just before leaving, that lie /and his companion would both have liked to have stayed a little longer in New Zealand, but they wanted to beat the London-retum record. The weather report for the Tasman Sea was a very bad one, but the weather had been bad when the machine came over yesterday and the Comet had “not seemed to worry about it.” The two engines were very reliable. They expected to be in Sydney in about seven hours and they expected to reach Batavia to-morrow. Mr Ricketts added a word, saying that next time he came to New Zealand he wanted to “stay a long, long time.” . The machine took the air without trouble, the wheels leaving the ground just on 9.30 a.m., the spectators giving the intrepid airmen a rousing sendoff. HEAD WINDS LIKELY. ’PLANE’S GREAT SPEED. Per Press Association. BLENHEIM, March 21. The Comet left the ground after using about 800 of the 1200yds runaway. The weather was fine and partially overcast with prospects of head winds for the first part of the,,Tasman crossing at any rate. A crowd of 500 gave the fliers a hearty send-off. Many had been at the aerodrome since dawn. After their first night’s sleep of any consequence since leaving Gravesend the fliers breakfasted at their hotel about 7.30 this morning and then proceeded to the aerodrome where they checked over the ’plane paying, particular attention to the wings which were slightly damaged by a hailstorm on the way over the Tasman, but which were repaired by the ground staff of Cook Strait Airways and the Marlborough Aero Club. About 8.30 the ’plane was taken from its hangar and the airmen spent a long time seeing that everything was properly stowed in the diminutive cockpit. At 9.20 the engines were started, and after about 10 minutes of warming up the men boarded the ’plane, waved cheerily to the crowd and taxied over to the south-eastern side of the aerodrome, heading into a light north-west breeze. The ’plane gathered speed quickly and rose without difficult. AERODROME CIRCLED. Mr Clouston circled the aerodrome twice, the second time swooping low down’ at a terrific speed, along the ranks of cheering spectators and disappeared within a few minutes towards threatening clouds shrouding the hills between Blenheim and Nelson. It was his intention to fly over Nelson and his home town, Motueka before finally setting out across tile. Tasman. Last night the ’’plane was refilled with petrol, and when it left this morning it was carrying a load of 201 gallons, of which 125 gallons were put in at Blenheim. From an'early hour this morning people began to gather at the aerodrome, Mr Clouston haying announced last night that be would take off probably three hours after dawn. By the time the fliers had arrived at the field there was a crowd of upwards of 500 present to witness the departure and demonstrate their keen and friendly intei-est felt in the recordbreaking performance. Mr Clouston’s mother and father and other members of the family gave him an affectionate send-off. The aviator spent some time in the office alongside the hangar with his family and friends and relatives resident in Marlborough. Before finally taking over the controls his last act before turning the ’plane round to taxi over the aerodrome was to speak into the microphone to extend thanks for the reception accorded him and his compan101A striking feature about the takeoff was the ’plane’s the facility with which she wars ; handled despite the heavy load of fuel, which was only 30 or 40 gallons under the maximum. Climbing quickly, the Comet manoeuvred as easily as a light ’plane and was soon lost to sight.