RAPID AIR VOYAGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20075, 12 October 1928, Page 15

RAPID AIR VOYAGE.

INDIA TO ENGLAND.

FOUR AND A-HALF DAYS.

JOURNEY OF 5000 MILES.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] LONDON, Sept. 7.

Captain C. I). Barnard and FlyingOfficer E. 11. Alliott alighted at Croydon Aerodrome in the Fokker-Jupiter monoplane Princess Xenia at 8.10 ]>. m. last night, at the conclusion of a flight from India to Britain, of 5000 miles, in four and a-half days. This is the fastest journey ever made between the countries. Last year the American airmen, Brock and Schlee, covered the distance from Croydon to Karachi in seven days, while Mr. Bert Hinkler, flying alone in February this year, piloted a small Avro Avian, a light plane, over the same route, also in seven days.

• "Our object," said Captain Barnard on alighting at Croydon, "is to show the possibility of establishing a fast passenger mail and goods air service between Britain and India, and as an example of the rapid transport of merchandise by air we have brought a cargo, a large' case of tea. We left Karachi at dawn on Sunday and flew the same day to Busline on the Persian Gulf. In two stages on Monday and Tuesday wo crossed the desert of Aleppo, in Asia Minor, and on Wednesday flew from there to Sofia. To-day wo have flown non-stop for 1400 miles from Sofia to Croydon."

Captain Barnard is a noted long distance pilot, and acts as pilot fcr tho Duchess of Bedford's light aeroplane. Flying-Officer Alliott was, until recently, a test pilot at the Air Ministry's experimental station at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk. Tho Fokker Jupiter monoplane ia a blue and gold aeroplano of Dutch design, and manufacture, and is .driven by a 500 h.p. British Bristol Jupiter aircooled engine. The Princess Xenia left. Lvmpna oa June 20 for a non-stop flight to India, with the Duchess of Bedford as a passenger; the route was to be direct, by Sofia, Aleppo, Bushire, and Karachi anol back again, and all went far a:i Bushire. There, however, a new engine had to bo obtained and fitted, so that. Karachi was not reached until August 22. Again there was a delay, and, after tho Duchess of Bedford had decided to return by sea, the pilots left, with a cargo of tea, early last Sunday morning. Captain Barnard has often flown with the Duches3 of Bedford. lie piloted her last year from her home at Woburn Abbey to Paris, Bordeaux, Biarritz, Burgos, Madrid, Seville and Tangier. The duchess also went on a flight of 3500 miles in eight days.