AIRMAN DELAYED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21698, 13 January 1934, Page 12

AIRMAN DELAYED

LOST IN HEAVY CLOUDS FLIGHT FROM WANGANUI A return flight to Pipiriki from Wanganui made by Mr. W. Stanmore. of Wanganui, a member of the Western Federated Flying Clubs, last Monday, lasted three hours instead of the usual one hour. Mr. Stanmore landed at the New Plymouth airport. The reason for tho deviation from his course was that ho encountered heavy clouds in the vicinity of Pipiriki. Those closed in around him, obscuring tho tops of the hills, a not uncommon experience foxairmen.

Deciding to tako the chance of flying out of the clouds at another point. Mr. Stanmore, who was then at an altiture of 4000 feet, climbed to a heicht of 11,000 feet, which took him above the cloud bank. Arriving in clear air, he saw white billowing clouds stretching in all directions. Above them the tip of Mount Ruapehu stood out clearly, and, not being used to tho vicinity, Mr. Stanmore mistook it for Mount Egmont, having lost his sense of direction. •

In his search for a break in the clouds Mr. Stanmore flew for 40 miles by tho compass before boing rewarded. Descending through them ho arrived above Mokau, and flew thence to the Bell Block airport. Thcro ho telephoned to tho Wanganui airport to inform Flying-Officer lan Keith, instructor to the Western Federated Flying Clubs, of his whereabouts, and, refilling tho tank with petrol, made an uneventful return to Wanganui, two hours overdue. Subsequently Flying-Officer Keith commended Mr. Stanmore for his action in seeking a higher altitude when finding himself hemmed in by the clouds. "Too often an attempt is made to fly low on such occasions, and accidents often result," ho said. "All the Western Federated Flying Clubs' aeroplanes are fitted with " expensive compasses which arc absolutely correct, and so Mr. Stanmore, although ho did not know his whereabouts, and had no map, knew tho direction in which ho was flying/ Compasses are invaluablo for cases such as this. All machines leaving Wanganui aro given a full load of benzine, so that ho had no trouble in that respect." rV ,