SPANNING THE OCEAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20600, 26 June 1930, Page 14

SPANNING THE OCEAN.

FORMER FLIGHTS RECALLED.

DANGER OF THE ATLANTIC.

ELEVEN SUCCESSFUL CROSSINGS.

The Atlantic has now been flown successfully ten times since the British airmen, Sir John Alcock and Sir Arthur Whitten Brown, made the first air crossing on June 14-15, 1019. Only ono aeroplane, however, previously had succeeded in crossing the northern portion of tho Atlantic from east to west, that in which tho Germans, Baron von Huehnefeld und Captain Koehl, and Major J. C. Fitzmaurice, Commandant of the Irish Free Stato Air Force, travelled from Baldonnel, Ireland, to Greenly Island, Labrador, in April, 1928. With that exception, the east to west crossing, which Kingsford Smith and his companions have made, has been extremely disastrous. The longest non stop flight to date was accomplished by Captain Arturo Ferrarm and Major Carlo del Frete in July, 1928, when they flow from Rome to Brazil, a distance of 4632 miles in 51 hours. The Successful Flights. Following is a list of the successful flights made across the Atlantic, whether from east to wost or west to east:—

June, 1919.—Sir John Alcock and Sn Arthur Whitten Brown, St. John_s, Newfoundland, to Clit'den, Ireland, 1880 miles, hours. May 1927.—Charles Lindbcrg, New York to Paris, 3639 mile 3, 33J, hours. June 1927.—Clarence Chamberlin and Charles Levine, New York to Eisloben, Germany, 3905 miles, 42J hours. June, 1927.—Commander Richard Byrd and three companions, New York to France, 4000 miles, 40 hours. August, 3927.—William Brock and Edward Schlee, Newfoundland to Croydon, 1930 miles, hours. April, 1928.—Baron von Huehnefeld, Captain' Koehl and Major J. C. Fitz* maurice, Baldonnel, Ireland, to Greenly Island, Labrador, 2300 miles, 36 hours. June, 1928.—Wilmer Stultz, Lou Gordon and Miss Amelia Earhart (first woman to fly the Atlantic), Trepassy Bay, Newfoundland, to Llanclly, South Wales, 1800 miles, 26J hours.

July, 1928.—Captain Arturo Ferrarin and Major Carlp del Prete, Rome to Brazil, 4850 mile:* 45i hours. Longest non-stop flight to date. March, 1929.—Captain Jiminez and Inglesjias, Seville, Spain, to Bahia, Brazil, 3390 miles. June, 1929. —Armona Lotte, Jean Assolaut and Rene Lefevre, Maine, United States, to Santander, Spain Failures and Tragedies. In the following list tho failures, including the losses, are given in company with those Atlantic flights which were taken in stages:— May, 1919. —Harry Hawker and Commander Macnenzie Grieve, R.N., St. John's, Newfoundland, to point in sea 750 miles from west coast of Ireland, 1100 miles. May, 1919.—Lieutenant-Commander A. C. Read, Trepassy, Newfoundland, to Lisbon, via the Azores. First time the Atlantic was actually crossed by air. March, 1922. —Commander Cabral and Commander Coutinho (Portuguese), Lisbon to Brazil, via Canary and Cape Verdo Islands. January, 1926.—Commandante Franco and two Spanish companions, Canary Islands to Pernambuco, Brazil, via Feruando Noronha Islands. February, 1927. —Marcbese de Pinedo, Capo Verdo Islands to Pernambuco, via Fernando Noronha Islands. March, 1927.—Lieutenant-Colonel Sarmento Beiros (Portuguese), Bissagos Islands, Portuguese West Africa, to Brazil, via Fernando Noronha Islands. May, 1927. —Nungessor and Coli, Paris, for New York, lost at sea.

August, 1927.—Princess Lowenstein Wertheim, Colonel Minchin and Captain Hamilton, Uphaven, Wiltshire, for Ottawa, lost at sea. September, 1927. —Lloyd Bertand, James Hill and Phillip Payne, Maine for Rome, failed. September, 1927.—Captain Tully and Lieutenant Metcalf, Newfoundland for London, failed. October, 1927.—Miss Ruth Long Island to point 350 miles off Azores, 2600 miles non-stop. Rescued by steamor. •December, 1927.—Mi's. Grayson, America for England, lost at sea. March, 1928.—Captain Hinchcliffe and the Hon. Elsie Mackay, Cranwell for New York, lost at sea. August, 1928.—Bert Hassel and Parker Cramer, Illinois to Stockholm, Sweden, in three hops. Lost on second stage to Greenland. October, 1928.—Commander H. C. MacDonald, Newfoundland for England in a Moth, lost at sea.