EPIC OF THE AIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19976, 19 June 1928, Page 10

EPIC OF THE AIR.

SOUTHERN CROSS STORY. THE NIGHT BEFORE SUVA. FEARS OF FORCED DESCENT. ENGINE AND TANK SCARES. A story of wonderful heroism and of jesting even in the blackest moments in the flight, of the Southern Cross from Hawaii to Suva is told in the log hook and diary compiled by Mr. C. T. P. Ulni, the assistant-pilot, and published on June 7in the Daily Mail in Brisbane. Between his turns at piloting the Southern Cross Mr. Ulm wrote his story simply and laconically without any striving after effect. It is a veritable epic of the air. From the moment the airmen set off from Hawaii across 3000 niijcs of ocean, they \yero as one alone, face to face with the unknown, and with death over present. Yet the diary shows that their confidence never really failed. In the night the intrepid men had to battle hard for their lives in a storm, and only the wonderful blind flying sense of Captain Kingsford Smith saved them from disaster. It was a nerve-racking experience. Mr. Ulm says he tried it twice for a few minutes, and then gladly gave it up. Captain Smith pitted his wits and skill against the storm's fury and in the race for altitude catnc out the winner. Fear of Fuel Exhaustion. Tho struggle throughout the long night, however, brought with it another terror, the fear that the fuel would not take the machine to a friendly isle. At the end of the tussle the main tank gauge showed nil. All the other tanks were known to be empty. Tho Southern Cross was then about 700 miles from Fiji, with no land in sight. Even Captain Smith's great heart almost failed, and for the first time in tho long journey lie expressed the fear that they had no chance of reaching Suva. They had a faint hope that they would be able to reach some island before they were forced to come down. The great and welcome discovery was then made that the gauge had failed to function, and a careful measurement revealed that there was just sufficient fuel to reach tho journey's end if there were no more storms. Before this the airmen had two great scares. When speeding along nearly 1000 miles from Honolulu Mr. Ulm thought the petrol tank was leaking. But it was found to be water, which had condensed. Then one of the motors spluttered, and gave them another shock, but this, too, was found to be a false alarm. Extracts from the log are appended:— " A Rotten Flying Night." "It is 4.55 a.m., and I took over for one and a-half hours. I will give Smith another spell now, as there are more rain and heavy clouds ahead. One thermos flask of coffee lias gone wrong. I drank some and it was upsetting. We will be thirsty lads before we land. It is raining and bumpy, and tho visibility is nil. "I will wake Smith now, as there is blind flying ahead. We have just been through" the worst period of the whole flight, rain, lightning, bumps, and blind flying, and there is another large storm looming ahead. Smith's handling of the ship is clever, dodging in and out between the clouds, and" trying to find a way through. It has been a rotten flying night all through, and we fear wo are rapidly exhausting our fuel supply. "It is 6.5. We dare not fly high any more, as the fuel supply is alarmingly low. Unless the main tank gauge is wrong we cannot make Suva, and will be forced to land in the water. This is not so good. . . "No Chance of Reaching Suva." " It is 6.30 a.m. and I am flying now. Smith writes me a note saying that we are out of luck, and ho sees no chance of reaching Suva, as the fuel will not last. Personally 1 think we will if we are on the right course. I feel confident there is mo.e fuel in the main tank than the gauge registers. Anyhow here s trying. At 6.50 I estimate there is about seven to eight hours' petrol left. . - . "It is now 7.15. Oh, what a. cheerless dawn! Rain, cold and blind flying at 8000 ft. This is the worst so far. We are out of luck. Smith says. If forced down we will wrap this log book in a waterproof bag and address it to the Sydney Sun, the Melbourne Herald, the Brisbane Mail and the San Francisco Examiner. "As our American friends would say, 'Smith sure knows his onions' at this blind flying. I took a go at it myself a couple of times, and I had enough after 10 minutes or so at a time. Ability to fly blind har saved our necks so far. . . I/von passed & note saying that he and Warner will have Smith made President on their return to America for his blind flying last night. . . . The Tension Relieved. "The time is 9.30 a.m., and it is now very doubtful whether we can make Suva or not, but I still believe wo will reach land at the outer islands. 1 started to hand-pump the fuel from the main tank, and though the gauge registers nil is still coming. There is some hope. The wing tanks are empty and the front tank is empty. . . Wo may just make it, but then nothing to spare. . . . " It is 10.10. God bless that faulty fuel gauge. Whoops of American joy and loud Aussie cheers! After thoroughly testing the fue 1 system and hand-pumping the fuel from the main tank, we have seven hours of fuel left now. We will make it it" on the course. ". . . Hooray! I am flying, and have sighted land on the starboard bow. I am pretty excited Smithy was dozing, and jumped up, saving, 'What's the trouble?' as I turned the machine, I pointed excitedly to the island, and then Smithy wrote a note to inform Lyon and' Warner. Geo, this is good! . . . Our only hazard now is the ground at Suva. Will it be large enough 1 ... . " By Honolulu time it is 3.22 p.m., and wo have been 34 hours in the air. Smithy has flown for 18£ hours, and mvseJj for 15£ hours. All is 0.K., 3.45. .. We landed at Suva, and it was a hazard, believe me."