AIR FORCE MACHINES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 262, 3 October 1940, Page 9

AIR FORCE MACHINES.

WELL ORGANISED SEARCH

WELLINGTON, Oct. 3,

An extensive aerial search was car ried out yesterday by machines ot tne j Royal New Zealand Air Force for the missing Airspeed Oxford plane. Visibility conditions over land were bad in the morning, but they improved later in the day. However, visibility was good' over tlie sea, which was calm, and ah extensive search .-was carried out over the South Taranaki Bight, without results. The search was resumed yesterday morning, when lour aircraft from Oliakea and two from New Plymouth took off at 7.30 o’clock. Visibility was then reported to be fair. Two of tlie Ohalcea machines searched an area between Pipiriki and Mangaweka, while the other two searched the Ruahines between Palmerston North and ! Makaretu. The two aircraft from New Plymouth carried out a search inland from fine mouth of the Mokau Riici. Meantime, another aircrait from Hobsonville was searching inland between Auckland and the Mokau River. In the afternoon the search was resumed by four aircraft, the area covered consisting of a strip approximately 25 miles wide commencing behind Wanganui and sweeping round at the back of Stratford and thence north as far as Te Keinga Point. Conditions were good, but the broken nature ot the country made observation difficult. No trace of the missing aircraft was seen. The search was resumed tins morning, when an area between Mokau and Albatross Point, and a second ' area round Mt, Messenger, was covered.