OUT OF THE BLUE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20656, 30 August 1930, Page 8 (Supplement)

OUT OF THE BLUE.

Signor Lombardi, who left Italy on July 14 on a flight to Tokyo, reached the naval aerodrome at Yokosuka on July 22.

For the first time the 1,400 miles between Toronto and Winnipeg have been flown in one dav. The trip was made recently in a I).£l. Puss Moth.

A large party of the delegates to the Imperial Press Conference paid a visit to Cardington on July 10 and inspected the RIOO and RJOI and mooring mast..

In the United States there are now more than 10,000 privately-owned aeroplanes, one for each 11,000 people, as compared with 26,000,000 automobiles, or one for every four people. The European co-efficient is from eight to ten times smaller.

While there are 787,125 miles of railways in the world, there are now about 136,875 miles of established air routes. Last year 2,000 commercial aeroplanes were in operation, and more than 14,000 tons of merchandise and postal matter were transported.

Plans have been made for the erection of a mooring mast for airships on the roof of the skyscraper being built on the site of the old Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. The top of the mast, on which will be an aircraft beacon, will be 1,248 ft. from street level.

There are reports of a large airship transport company being formed in Japan, in conjunction with the Zeppelin Co. The new company will have a capital of 120,000,000 yen (£12,000,000), and will operate six journeys monthly between Tokyo and San Francisco. The single fare will be 1,800 yen (£180), and the journey is to take 68 hours. Future plans include a service between Japan and Europe.

The increase in the amount of airborne mail carried from Great Britain during the quarter ended Juno 30, 1930 (i.e.. the first three months of the summer flying season), is given in an announcement just issued by the British Postmaster General, which states that 22,2771b. of letter nir mail were carried as compared with 16.3701b. during the corresponding period of 1929, or an increase of 36 per cent.

During the busiest part of the day on July 11 an aeroplane flew low over Milan and dropped anti-Fascist leaflets. These wore promptly collected by police and militia, while two fast aeroplanes were sent up in pursuit of the raider, but without success. Later, a machine crashed in tho St. Gothard fortified area, a forbidden area, and the pilot, one Bassausi, was injured and taken to hospital. As a quantity of anti-Fascist literature was found on the machine, it was assumed that this was tho visitor to Milan!

For the second time within three months, Pilot-Officer J. Heber Percy. No. 43 (Fighter) Squadron, R.A.F., Tangmere, has saved his life with the same Irwin Air Chute. On the first occasion, in April last, ho escaped from a collision. The second escape occurred on June 19. while he was practising for the Royal Air Force Display. The interesting question that arises from his experience and that of other airmen who escape with Irwin Air Chutes more thnnj once is, should they receive a "bar" to their Caterpillar Pin!