NON-STOP FLIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21411, 8 February 1933, Page 9

NON-STOP FLIGHT

TWO BRITISH AIRMEN ENGLAND TO CAPETOWN SATISFACTORY PROGRESS A ROBOT PILOT CARRIED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received February 8, 1.5 a.m.) LONDON. Feb. 7 Squadron-Leader 0. R. Gay ford and Flight-Lieutenant G. E. Nicholetts, who left Cranwell, Lincolnshire, yesterday morning in a Fairey monoplane to attempt to fly non-stop to Capetown, passed over Avignon, France, at 2 p.m. The southern end of Sardinia was passed at 5.40 p.m. A wireless message received from the airmen stated that at 8.55 p.m. they had passed Gabes, an oasis town in Tunisia. They had then flown 1510 miles, and reported "All satisfactory." At 4 a.m. to-day the monoplane was over the middle of the Sahara Desert, 2263 miles having been covered. The fliers were nearing the northern boundary of Nigeria at 8 a.m. So far they have averaged 108 miles an hour, 23 hours' continuation of which rate would make a record certain.

Throughout the flight periodical wireless reports are being received at the Air Ministry, London, from the fliers. From their starting point at Cranwell aerodrome, to Capetown, the distance is 6198 miles. The Fairey-Napier machine weighs tons fully loaded, special tyres being designed to carry its great weight. The plane has numerous novel features in design.

The airmen will be assisted by a robot (automatic) pilot, which will enable them to leave their seats and will still keep a correct course with perfect safety. A hammock, 6lung in the cabin, enables either pilot to rest. The route of the flight is as follows: Paris, Corsica, Sardinia, Tvyysia, Libya, French West Africa, Nigeria, French Equatorial Africa, Zesfontein and Cape St. Martin.

The monoplane being used by SquadronLeader Gayford and Flight-Lieutenant Nicholetts is known to members of the Air Force as •" Iron Mike." It was built at the Fairey aviation works, Hayes, Middlesex, for the Air Ministry. Its builders claim that it is capable of 70 hours non-slop flying, or 7500 miles. It was designed four years ago, with the long-dis-tance record in view. A trial non-stop flight to Cairo (2857 miles), made in October, 1931, was eminently successful, the robot pilot functioning so perfectly that the airmen were able to shave. Later they flew to Khartoum, and then back to England. That flight was made by SquadronLeader Gayford and Flight-Lieutenant D. L. Betts, who, owing to illness, was replaced for the present venture by FlightLieutenant Nicholetts.

It was announced recently that the airmen would broadcast on a wave-length of 32.71 throughout their journey. The Air Ministry invited the public to listen-in to the signals during the flight. The monoplane is the fastest of its size ever built. It has a speed of 150 miles an hour, and is stream-lined to the last degree. It has been described as one of the most graceful machines that ever took the air, resembling a fast-flying heron, with its engine in the long neck, and its 84ft. spread of wing dwarfing the 50ft. of fuselage. The Napier-Lion engine has been keyed up to the lowest possible petrol consumption. One objective of the two fliers is to break the record of the Americans Boardman and Polando, who flew non-stop from New York to Constantinople (5012 miles) in 1931. It will not be necessary to complete the journey to Capetown in order to recover the long-distance record for Britain. A new record must exceed that of the two Americana by 100 kilometres, which means making a non-stop flight of 5074 miles. Another is to discover whether it is' possible to maintain communications between the Royal Air Force stations at Home and those abroad by non-stop flights, and to facilitate the study of the effect of tropical conditions on the compass.