French Aviators Set New Record

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 6840, 22 April 1932, Page 7

French Aviators Set New Record

PARIS TO CAPETOWN IN UNDER FOUR DAYS. United Press Association. —By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. San Francisco Press Broadcast. CAPETOWN, April 21. A new record for the flight from Europe to Capetown was set this morning when Goulette and Salel, the French airmen, arrived here at 12.40 a.m. They flew from Paris in three days, 17 hours, 15 minutes, bettering the London to Capetown Tecord of Mollison, British flyer, by almost a full day.

Warm Reception at Capetown Received Thursday, 11.30 p.m. CAPETOWN, April 21. The Frenchmen landed at 12.40 and were greeted by 2000, many in evening dress, with shouts of “Vive La France” as tho prelude to the crowd singing “Tho Marseillaise.”

Goulette said there wero heavy head winds in tho latter stages. She engine winds in the latter stages. The engine tho Sahara forced blind flying for several hours and a lightning storm over Nigeria compelled - m to mako a circuit. The flight, according to Greenwich time, took 3 days, 17 hours, 15 minutos. Ho did not sleep throughout.

New Passenger Planes For Cairo-Cape Service .British Official Wircloss. Received Thursday, 9.50 p.m. RUGBY, April 20. It is expected that the first of the eight four-engined passenger monoplanes of lightweight strip steel construction, designed for Imperial Airways’ CairoCapetown route, will bo ready for the preliminary trials within the next few weeks, and that the entire fleet will be in service towards the end of the year. The fleet is being constructed by Arm-strong-Whitworth Aircraft, Ltd., of Coventry, at a cost of £150,000. Each plane will weigh over eight tons, of which over two tons will be available for the accommodation of the crew, passengers, mails and goods. The maximum and cruising speeds will be respectively 150 and 120 miles per hour, and a feature of the new machines is that they will be able to alight at 50 miles per hour. With the new machines in commission the London-Capetown journey may in duo course be reduced from eleven days to nine days.

Mollison’s Record Not Affected

Received Thursday, 9.30 p.m. LONDON, April 21. “Give my heartiest congratulations,” said Mollison when informed of the success of Gouletto and Balcl. “My record js not affected as this flight was not from England. When I left Lympne I passed a good many miles away from Paris and took a direct line down the coast. The fact remains, however, that this was a line flight.” /The Daily Telegraph says few months pass now but new air records are made and broken. The comparisons of the time of Goulette and Balel with Moilison’s single-handed recorded on a route of different length are impossible, but the achievement is striking and significant. A regular passenger service from London to South Africa is being inaugurated on Wednesday. Thus air transport brings a world-scattered Empire into close communication and enhances the efficiency of the service.

Scott Completes Second Hop Received Thursday, 11.30 p.m. ALEPPO, April 21. C. A. Scott arrived at 7 p.m. yesterday and left for Bushire at 11.5 a.m, to-day.