CROSS-COUNTRY FLYING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 21 March 1936, Page 8

CROSS-COUNTRY FLYING

(By 8..D.L.) It was with pleasurable anticipation that Roy (Max and 1 awaited last weekend to ily to Dunedin to participate in some of the competitions at the South Island Air Pageant. With such changeable weather conditions prevailing in the southern parts of the South Island the outlook was not bright, but, fortunately on the preceding Thursday the weather mended and we were able to take-off from the Blenheim aerodrome at 5.15.

We immediately gained altitude until at 8000 feet we were able to put on more speed. At this height we were about 3000 feet above the clouds which were fairly broken, and it was possible lo catch glimpses of rivers and valleys through them. As the clouds were very thick on the coast at Kaikoura we turned inland and lost height until we were flying beneath them at about 2000 feet. We (lew. down a valley to Waikari and then turned slightly left to fly over Amberley, Sefton " and thence Christchurch where we arrived at 11.55. At Christchurch we had lunch at the aerodrome and having rung Timaru for a weather report left at 2 o’clock for that town. Flying from Christchurch to Timaru is wonderful; there are plenty of landing grounds and no hills to become cloud covered. We arrived at Timaru at 3.15. After refuelling we set off for Dunedin which we reached after a long push of two and a quarter hours against a strong south-wester. It was terribly bad luck that the weather should have been so unfavourable for the Saturday afternoon display as an excellent programme had been arranged. However, despite adverse conditions ‘■Scotty’’ Fraser did two jumps with his new parachute and Flying Officer J. Buekeridge gave a wonderfully polished exhibition of aerobatics. The oembing of an oil dump by three Air Force machines also presented a very fine spectacle. On Sunday We were ready once more to take the air and left Dunedin for Christchurch at five to eleven. We had a good tail wind which blew us as far as Oamaru. With such good flying conditions it was unnecessary to call at Timaru for fuel so we headed along the coast for Christchurch. About five miles from Wigram aerodrome' we were overtaken by three Avro Trainers, a Hawker Tomtit," a Vickers Vildebeestc and a Moth, all machines belonging to the Royal New Zealand Air Force. We landed at Wigram at 1.20. After lunch we took off in glorious weather for Blenheim at 2.5 and arrived there at 4 o’clock. There was hardly- a cloud in the sky and we were able to follow the coast as far north as Wharanui and then turn inland to fly to Blenheim. After a flight of forty-five minutes we reached the Nelson aerodrome at 530 p.m. On this flight we ran into clouds on the Maungatapu and were forced to flv at 8000 feet. At tins height ,we " flew over Nelson which, through a hole in the clouds, looked miles "below us. Quickly we lost height and landed at the aerodrome after a most interesting day’s flying-