First Air Stowaway Trapped in Burma

Manawatu Times, Volume LIII, Issue 6669, 24 July 1928, Page 11

First Air Stowaway Trapped in Burma

Light Airplane Slow to Lift and Search Led to Discovery of Culprit RANGOON, Burma. On the occasion of some test flights recently made here in connection with the establishment of a Calcutta-Ran-goon-Singappro air service, an amusing incident/occurred when a Burmese coolie became thq first recorded air ‘ ‘ stow.away. ”, ■■ : R. C. Kemp, managing director of the Aar Surveys Company, Ltd., was preparing for a flight in company with another member of the company. A throng of , keenly interested coolies, was about, for; airplanes are- yet a good deal of a novelty to the Burmese.', One of these asked to be taken up and was told to climb in. While he was doing so another coolie managed to get in also and: to conceal himself in an in.crcdibjy small space. No one saw the act and the presence of the Burmese was not discovered until the plane had landed after a’ flight of half an hour, in the course of which • the aviator found,that his machine did not act as usual and that it was slow to lift. , In.vestigation discovered ample reason in the presence of the hidden : coolie whose added weight was too. much for the. light airplane. The new service will bo an importimt addition to. transportation facilities in*.this part of the east, .especially as the steamers which make the ports on the east side of the Bay. of Bengal are very slaw, .requiring .three days for the Calcutta-Bangoon run of less than 800 miles and tho‘same, time from Rangoon to Penang,, tt Similar distaffco. The air atation-ht Monkey Point, a few miles down tho river from, the city, will bo the Rangoon stopping place ; for air-. ■plffncs^Wd' a ■ new'base is being . arv ranged at Singapore, whence in the near,future otlier air services, may be inaugurated to ports in the Straits and among the islands.