TWO HISTORIC FLIGHTS

Northern Advocate, 8 April 1931, Page 7

TWO HISTORIC FLIGHTS

MR F. C. OWEN'S VENTURES. ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA., An intimate and descriptive story , of: the two long-distance flights in which he had taken part wag given at a gathering addressed by Flyingofficer F. C. Owen in the Whangarei j Chamber of Commerce rooms last j evening. The speaker embellished the . j now. well-known accounts of both (flights with highly interesting and j entertaining touches. Mr R. K. Trim|mcr presided. Flying-Officer Owen set out from Sydney for England in 1928, on what he -described as a * ‘ stunt, ’ ’ accompanied by Flight-Lieutenant J. S. Moir and Captain Frank Hurley, the photographer. They picked up the overland telegraph line to Wyndham and then flew on to Sourabaya, Singapore, Victoria Point, Rangoon, Calcutta, Agra, Karachi, Bunda Abbas, Bushire and Bagdad. Near the Persian Gulf they ran into a sandstorm and at Bunda Abbas found s dust up to 4000 or 50Q0 feet, while the finer dust rose to 14,000 feet. From Cairo their object was Athens', Rome and London. At Athens, however, they began to be very confident and overloaded! the machine. In taking off it failed to rise sufficiently and was completely ‘wrecked on the banks, of a stream. The journey to London was completed by train. In England they got into touch with the firm of Vickers and arranged to fly back to Australia in a ;ViekersVcllors freight-carrier. This trip was a purely commercial proposition and not a‘l stunt." The speaker commented upon the many details to be arranged, including passports for every country and permission to fly over foreign territories. They toob off at the Brooklands facing track, and Flying-Officer Owen traced the steps of their journey; across France, Italy, Malta and Tripoli. At Mersa Matruh they damaged their machine and had to wait five weeks in the little military outpost while spare parts came ’ out front England. They then flew over the desert to Bagdad, following the furrow made by the Royal Air Force to guide aviators. Many emergency landing grounds had also been built there at intervals. They proceeded from Bagdad across Persia and on to Karachi and Allahabad. At Allahabad they descended into a heat pi; 116 degrees; which- was a very sudden change after the temperature at 8000 feet. -Then they went on to Calcutta, Akyab,, Bangkok, Singora. and Singapore. At Bima they filled up for their final hop across the Timor JStea to Darwin. They were flying out of eight of land when suddenly the ' engine gave, a cough. "I- nearly fell out of the 'plane with fright, G said Flying-Officer Owen, "and about half an hour later it gave anqt|).er. Twenty minptes later it gave three terrific coughs., Wei fished round: to find out the trouble, but the epginc wag mechanically perfect. The eoughipg got worse and we got ready to cut adrift the tanks and make a raft." When it was dark they located a "dud" cylinder, but were powerless to do anything. At about 6.30 p.m. they saw the gleam of the lighthouse at Cape 3}on, and by 7.15 their speed was reduced to each a level that their ground speed was only 45 or 55 m.p.h. They did not care how they "pancaked" so long as they were safe. They decided to come down pn a bit of a clearing below the lighthouse, but struck a stump in the dark and smashed the machine. Captain Brain located them eight days later and they were taken off by boat. They were unlucky in one way, but very fortunate in others. The broken machine still lay at Cape Bon.