NEW RECORD

Northern Advocate, 20 December 1932, Page 5

NEW RECORD

CAPE TOWN TO CROYDON MRS MOLLISON ACCLAIMED,; STRENUOUS EXPERIENCE. (British Official Wireless.) (Received 1 p.m.) RUGBY, December 19. A huge crowd welcomed Mrs J. A. Mollison on arriving at Croydon and completing her flight from Cape Town Although delayed by exceptionally bad weather, she established a fresh record for the Capo Town-London journey. • ' Her return journey of 6200 miles occupied 7 days 7 hours 5 minutes, compared with four days six hours 53 minutes on the outward flight. The previous best time for the Cape Town-London flight was that of the Duchess of Bedford and Captain Barnard, who, in 1930, completed the flight in 10 days. After landing at Croydon, where she was welcomed on behalf of the Air Ministiy, she received numerous congratulatory messages, including one from the King, and another from the Royal Aeronautical Society. Mrs Mollison proceeded to her home in the West End, greeted along the route by cheering crowds. Perils Encountered.

Describing her journey, Mrs Mollisen said the worst experience was the all-night flight before a tornado between Duala and Moseamedos on the way south, when she was blown 100 miles out to sea and had considerable difficulty in fighting her w,ay back to land. In ,the same part of the flight on the way home she felt the danger as she encountered thick clouds in order to avoid 13,000-foot mountains, in the neighbourhood, and had to again go out to sea, finding her course by flying very low along the coast line. When flying through a valley in the Atlas Mountains she struggled against a 75-miles-an-hour wind and had to proceed crabwise up the valley in imminent danger of being driven against the rocky sides. She met almost every kind of weather, including snow, during the journey, but showed few signs of fatigue on reaching Croydon. She paid a warm tribute to her Puss Moth machine and Gypsy engine which, she said, never missed a revolution.