CLIPPER ON HOP TO PACO PACO

Northern Advocate, 25 March 1937, Page 7

CLIPPER ON HOP TO PACO PACO

Making Good Time On Fine Weather Trip From Kingman Reef

[Per Press Association. — Copyright.] AUCKLAND, This Day. Mr Harold Catty, New Zealand representative of Pan-American Airways, states that the survey Clipper took off from Kingman Reef at 5.40 this morning (New Zealand time), crossed the equator at 9.10 a.m., arid was at noon 600 nautical. miles north-east of Pago Pago, where they expected to arrive between 4.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. Radio messages from the plane announce that the Clipper is encountering- fire weather and making good time. Mr' Catty says it is intended that the plane will continue. , the radio direction finding tests at Pago Pago. Reach . Auckland Tuesday? As a result of the collapse of the network of meteorological reports during the holidays and storm conditions on the route to Auckland, it- is not ex- . pected that Auckland will be reached before Tuesday, by which time, it is expected, the weather will be favourable and meteorological reports more frequent. It is anticipated that the plane, when it makes the final hop. will leave in daylight, in which case it will arrive late in the afternoon of the same day. Mr Catty states that the Meteorological Office has located a second disturbance from the hurricane breeding grounds in the New Hebrides, and this is being closely watched. There is insufficient data to~ predict the exact path of the storm, A message from Honolulu this morning stated that the Clipper left Hbno- > lulu at 3.6 p.m. on Tuesday for Kingman Reef, 1100 miles to the south, and arrived at her destination eight hours later. A copyright message from Captain Musick states: Eight hours and five minutes after leaving Honolulu,we , landed on a lagoon at Kingman Reef, ending the second leg of the flight. There was a solid wall of rain nearing the reef, but a sight of the sun through an opening in the clouds verified our course. "‘The navigator, Mr Canaday, did a masterful job of navigation and we sighted the plume of smoke from the funnel of the North Wind before the • chip and the island were blotted out by the rain. We had alternate rain and sun throughout the flight.”