FLIGHT TO HONOLULU.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19691, 18 July 1927, Page 9

FLIGHT TO HONOLULU.

FAILURE OF ATTEMPT.

AIRMEN SHORT OF FUEL.

FORCED DESCENT MADE.

By Telegraph Association—Copyright. A. and N.Z.-Sun. HONOLULU, July 10. Tho two American airmen, Mr. Ernest Smith, pilot, and Mr. Emery Bronte, navigator, who left Oakland, Calif6rnia, on Thursday morning in an attempt to fly to Honolulu and back had to make a forced descent, yesterday morning on the island of Molokai, owing to shortage of fuel. The airmen sent out a wireless message explaining their plight. They had flown 1700 miles in 21 hours 5 minutes. The time of their descent was 9.45 a.m. (Honolulu time). Neither of the airmen was hurt although their monoplane, City of Oakland, crashed into a tree. Tho whole flight took place in fog, but the wireless worked perfectly with the exception of the receiving set, which failed a short time before their arrival. Ship and shore stations both at Hawaii and in the United States received their signals from the start of the flight to near the finish. Messrs. Smith and Bronte arrived at Wheeler Field. 25 miles from Honolulu, last evening. Mr. Smith explained that their gasoline was exhausted just as they reached Molokai. He had sent out an appeal for assistance earlier in the day because it appeared then that the gasoline supply might give out and they were taking no chances. When tho airmen reached Honolulu to-day they told an interesting story of the peculiar difficulties met with during the flight through fog. Constant mirages of land with distinct images of farm houses proved a torment. The failure of the automatic petrol-feed compelled them to manipulate the hand-pump for many hours and the derangement of the petrol indicator made them fear their petrol would be depleted. Thereupon they sent out calls for help and prepared to land on the sea. They descended toward the surface, and, just when they were near enough to see the water (which was their first sight of the ocean from the moment they had started"), the plane suddenly spurted upward and they saw Molokai Island. There they crashed in the trees.

Honolulu, the capita] of Iho Hawaii Islands, is on the islanr! of Oahu, from which the island of Molokai is distant about 40 miles to the south-east. Molokai has a leper settlement at Kalawao. Although the two American airmen did not actually reach their objective, Honolulu, they came within 40 or 50 miles of it, after a flight of 1700 miles. The two American Army airmen, Lieutenants Lester -Maitland and Albert Hegenherger. on June 29 reached Honolulu after a flight of 25 hours 43 minutes from Oakland. California. A technical success was claimed for the attempt, made in September. 1925. by Commander John Rodgers, of the United States Navy, in the P.N.9., No. 1, on the ground that the crew did rmt leave their seaplane until it grounded on Kauai Island. Nevertheless, flic fact remains that on that occasion the air journey ended when the machine made, a forced descent 400 miles front Hawaii. Fabric was cut from the lower wing of the seaplane and a foresail was rigged. The machine was sailed before the wind in an effort to reach land. Ultimately a patrolling submarine sighted the machine and towed it into port.