Giant Sempill Plane Missing

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 238, 8 October 1936, Page 7

Giant Sempill Plane Missing

lay be Down in Timor Sea

FOUR OCCUPANTS INCLUDE DESIGNER

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.— CopyTlght.

DARWIN, Oct. 7.

Piloted by Mr. H. Wood, Lord Sompill’s Monospar aeroplane arrived from Melbourne, having covered 2435 miles in 12 hours 55 minutes, Mr. Wood said he was confident that ho could keep the promise to the crew that they would have lunch in London next Sunday. To do this Mr. Wood must fly more tihau 12,700 miles without relief at the controls and break the record of 5 days 15 hours from Darwin to London held by Messrs. Cathcart Jones and Waller. Lord Sempill’s machine is a new Monospar twin-engined 10-seater lowwing monoplane named "Croydon.” It is the only aeroplane of this type so far completed. Down in Timor Sea GOVERNMENT PATROL BOAT SEARCHING Received Wednesday, Midnight. SYDNEY, Oct. 7. A Darwin message statos that it is feared the Monospar plane piloted by Mr. Wood has been forced down in tho Timor Sea and the Government patrol boat Larrakia aas been dispatched to search, The machine took off from Darwin at 4.50 a.m. local time and since then has not been reported. Mr. Wood is accompanied by the designer of the ’plane, Mr. P. P. Crocombe, an engineer, Mr. L. Davies, and a radio operator, Mr. C. P. Gilroy. The machine had a load of 11,3001b5., chiefly petrol and spare parts, Mr. Wood, planned to reach Singapore, 2347 miles from Darwin, to-day. SINGAPORE, Oct. 7. Lord Sempill’s Monospar is five hours overdue at Koepang and was last seen 450 miles from Darwin. Still No Sign Received Thursday, 3 a.m. DARWIN, Oct. 7. Pilot Wood intimated before he took off that he intended to breakfast at Koepang. About 7.30 the radio directional station at Darwin heard the last, weak signal from the ’plane when the machine was about 70 miles from the coast near Koepang. The Qantas mailplane with the British mails which left Koepang at 12.45 p.m. for Darwin wirelessed that it saw no sign of Woods’ plane over the Timor Sea. Swedish Attempt to Gross Atlantic Received Wednesday, 9.50 p.m. NEW YORK, Oct. 7. Kurt Bjorkvall, the Swedish aviator, hopped off on a non-stop flight to Stockholm in a Bcllanca. monoplane. Barren Victory in Air Race NO FOREIGN COMPETITORS Received Wednesday, 5.45 p.m. JOHANNESBURG, Oct. C. Mr. C. W. A. Scott, winner of the air race, speaking at a luncheon, expressed rogret that the race was not for international competitors. Ho might have accomplished something better for Britain if the entry had been open to all nations. It was all very well to say British aircraft had'reached the Rand in a certain time bu? other countries might now say they could have eliminated British aircraft from tho race.

It would have given British aviation a greater fillip even if a non-Britisher had won. Britain was terribly behind in commercial aviation. ‘‘lf there is another race for heaven’s sake make it international,” he said. Mr. Schlcsinger, donor of tho prize money, said he intended to investigate Scott’s suggestion. Grant to Wives of Victims in Crash JOHANNESBURG, October 6. Mr: Schlcsinger, founder of the Johannesburg air race is granting £2OOO each to Mesdames Eindlay and Morgan, wives of the victims of the crash during tho race, and £2OOO is to be placed in trust for the benefit of their children. He says he is not downhearted at the result of the race as it would prove a fillip to civil aviation.