O’Hara Flying To-day

Manawatu Times, Volume 60, Issue 246, 18 October 1935, Page 6

O’Hara Flying To-day

Hopes to Reach New Zealand By 3.30 p.ra. TWO HOURS FUEL MARGIN ONLY Received Thursday, 10.20 p.m. SYDNEY, Oct. 17. Pilot O’Hara flew front Mascot to Richmond.aerodrome to-day, whence ho will begin his flight to New Zealand at 3 o’clock to-morrow morning, without the extra loading of petrol which, the Aviation Department disallowed. O’Hara thus has a fuel'margin only of two hours. Weather conditions for the flight are reported to be favourable. He hopes to reach New Zealand at 3.30 p.m., New Zealand time. He is taking a rubber boat and emergency rations imt no radio.

Other Ventures Ahead

Receiv ed Thursday, 7,10 p.m. SYDNEY, Oct. 17. Pilot O’Hara, following a-telephone conversation with Captain E. C. John stou, controller of civil avialiou in Melbourne, said he expected the authorities would allow him to fly to Now Zealand if the plane was not overloaded. Without overloading he would have a range of 13 flying hours. He had hoped to carry enougn petrol for 13 hours flying in case of head winds or deviations from the course, lie thought he could reach New Zealous in It Jiours butsome margin was essential.■,Ho expects to decide later in the day whetner ho can make the flight in accordance with the controller’s conditions. Pilot O’Hara said his reason for desiring to be anonymous was on account of his motner who was in New Zealand, and who would worry during tuc flight. If he accomplishes the trans-Tasman flights, O’Hara plans to fly to Perth and theuce round north-west Australia and across the Timor Sea home to Java. He has named tho plane Zcalaudiu which, he says, embodies the sentiment ho feels towards his native New Zealand and also pays a tribute to the Dutch.

Information leading to the supposition that “Pilot X,”.tbo prospective trans-Tasman iiier, whoso identity has been revealed in a telegram from Mew Plymouth iirst as Mr. Patrick O’Hara, and later, an a Sydney message, as Mr. W. M. O’Hara, is Mr. Walter Alartin O’Hara, a M’ew Zealander who comes from farming stock, is given by a Wellington resident. While there may exist a slight doubt, the points of similarity in the association of the two men appear conclusive. To his associates the New Zealander was always known as “Paddy,” which would axcount for his being called “Patrick” O’Hara. Lu the Great War Air. O ’Hara enlisted from Wharepoa, in-the Thames Valley, and went into camp when lie was about 17, leaving Wellington with the Third Battalion Pi tic Brigade, From Ihe infantry he transferred to the ma-chine-gunneis and served in Prance, and although lie was not wounded, ho was slightly deafened at ouo stage. Ho was sent to England for a commission, which, was granted about the time the Armistice was sigued. When he returned to New Zealand liis health was not good, so ho left for the Hast and obtained a position as a cadet on a rubber-growing plantation in Java, a cadet serving about live years to quality—if the language difficulty lias been overcome—as an assistant manager. After he had been there about .18 months, lie was appointed temporary manager of an Hnglislt-cwn-cd estate, to act until executives arrived from England. Wheu they arrived they found that Air. O'Hara had been so successful that they appointed hiift to the position permanently. Thus he had accomplished in a very short time what a man usually does m seven or eight years. Having had experience of rubbergrowiiig, he sought knowledge in the wider Held of sugar and coffee plantations. Ho came to New Zealand for a holiday about 11125, and went down with malaria; and \Vhen he returned to Australia doctors told him that the easiest way to commit suicide was to go back to Java. An active It! months in the Commonwealth, however, :m----proved liis liealtli considerably and lie returned to Java. Instead of working for station owners he took interests in syndicates controlling stations. He left Java again about October of last year, and arrived in New Zealand' for Christmas. While he was in Wellington iii January of this year no said his intention was to buy some racehorses for a syndicate in Java, and also spoke about taking an aeroplane back with him. That he occupied a prominent position in Java was proved by the fact that the Administrator of the mandated part of N T ew Guinea had asked him to make a report on the growing of rubber, coffee and tea on estates formerly under German management, which had previously grown coeoanuts for copra. Air. O’Hara mentioned that he had a pilot’s license, and it is known that he had no knowledge of Hying before he went to Java the first time. In Java he is rated highly as a mountaineer, and with two other men he was the iirst to scale a volcano by ascending one side and descending the other. Aviators at Rangoon RANGOON, Oct. 17. The Australian airmen Thomas and Alaguire have left for Calcutta en route to Loudon. The aviator Littlejohn, accompanied by his wife, has left for Ator Star. Thomas and Alaguire left Darwin on October 11. Flying Officer Littlejohn and his wife are on a honeymoon fligh-. from Southampton to Australia.