TASMAN FLYER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 10 January 1936, Page 4

TASMAN FLYER

ARRIVAL AT NELSON WELCOME TO MR W. M. O’HARA SLIGHT MISHAP AFTER LANDING In the course of his Dominion tour Mr W. M. O’Hara, the trans-Tasman flyer, arrived over Nelson at 10 o’clock this morning and after circling the town for a few minutes proceeded on to the aerodrome at Stoke. As the speedy little British Klemm Eagle monoplane, in which the intrepid aviator crossed the Tasman in the record time of 11 hours 30 minutes, came in sight there were many exclamations of admiration. After circling the aerodrome, Mr O’Hara made a perfect landing and was preparing to taxi to the hangar when one of the brakes jambed causing the machine to nose dip. One arm of the propellor struck the ground and was slightly bent. The machine was quickly stopped and later wheeled to Cook Strait Airways hangar where Captain Bolt undertook to effect the necessary repairs. Mr O’Hara is the most unassuming of men and all civic receptions have been banned by him. However, the Returned Soldiers’ Association and the Nelson Aero Club were in attendance, as well as members of the general public.

The slight mishap after landing necessitated alterations in plans. The machine remained for a- time where the accident had happened and spectators walked over to it. WORK FOR R.S.A. There Dr W. D. S. Johnston, in the absence of Mr Duke, president of the R.S.A., extended a welcome to Mr O’Hara and complimented him on his great achievement. The Association was also very grateful to him for his good work in making flights with passengers in order to augment the funds of the Association. They were. of course sorry that the slight mishap that day would prevent passenger flights in Nelson. He introduced Mr A. Gould, chairman of the Harbour Board and Air Port Authority, Dr. J. P. S. Jamieson, president of the Nelson Aero Club, Mr E. A. Bone, president of the Rotary Club, and Dr. Low, Dr. Williams and Messrs Stevens and West of the Nelson R.S.A.

A New Zealander, Mr Walte r Martin O’Hara is the eldest son of Mrs M. O’Hara, of Warkworth, and the late Patrick" O’Hara, of Wliarepoa, Thames Valley. iftr O’Hara is 37 years of age and unmarried. He saw service during the Great War with the Machine-gun Corps, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, having enlisted as a private and later being promoted to commissioned rank. Mr O’Hara lias been residing at Dampit, Java, since the war. ‘ LONG SOLO FLIGHT Mr O’Hara left Sydney at 7.45 a.m. New Zealand time on 18th October last, and arrived at Mangere Aerodrome at 8.32 at night. He carried no wireless, • and the first news of him was when lie flew over Waiuku, 40 miles from Auckland. Mangere was promptly advised and flares were lit to ensure a safe landing. Mr O’Hara was soon heard approaching Mangere. In landing the undercarriage of the machine was damaged, hut the pilot alighted unhurt and apparently showing little ejects of the ordeal of his solo flight. Describing the flight, Mr O’Hara said he got out of Richmond, Sydney, just in time, as fog was coining down. “I had had to stay there until it was light, as I had no flares with which to take off,” he said. “In spite of the load the machine took off well without any trouble in about 300 yards. I flew south to Gerringong, about 80 miles, and at 5.10 (Australian time), just as we were nicely in the air, the sun rose over the mountains near Sydney. I turned the machine eastward and immediately started climbing on account of there being low clouds to the north. At 830 I had to start climbing again and was soon at 9000 ft, and half <in hour later at 10,00 ft. The conditions became very rough, and I got into trouble. There were clouds all round, and I was flying blind when we ran into hail. The wings were frozen over thickly, and in no time were covered by a sheet of ice. In spite of the ice there was no difficulty in controlling the monoplane, but I put her nose down and opened the throttle to get into more pleasant flying weather. T came out of the clouds at 5000 ft into sunshine and the ice quickly dispersed. The sea was quite calm: “At 10.45 I had my morning tea, a flask of tea. and some sandwiches, Heavy rain at 11.30 forced me to fly in : a south-easterly direction. Visibility to the south was good all the time, but at this stage it was just a blank wall to the north, although the running was fairly smooth. I took this opportunity to read the mail handed me just before I left Richmond. MOUNTAIN SIGHTED

“Noon found us again flying high. We were at 8000 feet, and being steadily pushed up because of clouds. At 2 p.m. I went under the clouds and saw r the ocean for the first time in about three hours. From then on I was able to keep below the clouds, at heights ranging from 1000 to 4000 feet. I was flying at about 2000 feet when I sighted a mountain shrouded In clouds, which I took to be Mount Egmont. I was about 40 miles out and slightly north of the mountain, for which I had aimed when I first saw it. The time was then about 4.30. I turned the machine gradually northward, and oil nearing the coast passed over some men in a dinghy apparently fishing. This was about 5 o’clock. “This was the first sign of life on the whole trip, as I sighted no ships on the way. By this time it was rapidly getting dark, and I switched on my navigation lights and used a torch I had carried with me to read the instruments. “Some of the least pleasant weather of the whole trip was encountered on the flight up the coast, where I was flying blind several times. It was rainI ing at intervals. The clouds were low, keeping my altitude down, and I knew the country was too hilly to go inland. GUIDED BY VEREY LIGHTS “Away in the distance I could see the haze of Auckland’s lights and then saw a township. I went in over the township, but when I got there I found myself flying blind again and so turned about and went right hack to the coast. I followed the surf line up to Mamikau Heads and then flew up to Mamikau Harbour. Verey lights fired (Continued at foot of column 1, page 5)

from the ground attracted my attention while I was some distance away and approaching the aerodrome by map reading, and at about 2000 feet. Lights served to locate the landing field for me, and after circling several times over the flares I came in to land. I saw the flares, but unfortunately did not see the fence through the wet windscreen with its bewildering reflections. I imagined I saw a hill directly ahead and momentarily opened the throttle to carry me over it. The machine landed and I thought I had plenty of room, but about ten yards ahead I saw the fence. In spite of jamming on the brakes the machine went straight thapagh the fence, carrying away a section. I was unhurt and the damage to the machine was not extensive. NO QUALMS ABOUT RETURN “The flight was sufficiently safe and comfortable to give me no qualms about undertaking the return journey in the same machine.” “I had a book and read a lot when it was not too rough,” said Mr O’Hara. “Before leaving Sydney I looked round a book shop and got a thriller with the biggest print I could find. The flight was not tedious, as I had plenty to do, although I did not have the trouble of -pumping by hand petrol from the cabin tank to the wing tanks; automatic pumps took care of the supply. I had to feed the engine with oil, however, to keep pace with its normal consumption of a quart an hour. A pipe had been run from the cockpit to the motor, and every hour I poured a quart from tins in the cabin'to the motor.”