TASMAN CROSSED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21729, 19 February 1934, Page 10

TASMAN CROSSED

. THE FIRST AIR MAIL P ULM ARRIVES AT SYDNEY EOUItTEEN-HOUR JOURNEY / f 1 ■ - MOSTLY- THROUGH RAIN FAILURE OF WIRELESS (Received February 18, 5.5 p.m.) SYDNEY. Feb. 18 The Faith in Australia, with FlightLieutenant C. T. P. Ulm, Mr. G. U. Allan, co-pilot, and Mr. R. N. Boulton, engineer, on board, arrived at Mascot aerodrome, Sydney, at b.15 p.m. yesterday, just 14 hours 10 minutes after taking off from Muriwai Beach, North Auckland. The monoplane was seen approaching at a low altitude and tho workmen who/had been preparing flares in case the landing had to be made in darkness rushed to the centre of the aerodrome and cheered. Mr. Ulm wasted no time in circling but headed the monoplano into tho wind and made a neat landing. He did not stop the engines until the machine was housed in the hangar. Then, after greeting his wife, he superintended tho unloading of the mails. Mr. Allan said the trip was made mostly through rain, but this had caused no trouble of any kind. The radio equipment was out of action nil the way owing to a defect in a condenser. Mr;. Ulm predicted that within two years regular commercial services would be inaugurated between Australia and New Zealand. Thp letters brought by tho Faith in Australia comprise the first official air mail from New Zealand to Australia. NO RADIO MESSAGES TROUBLE WITH TRANSMITTER / No wireless messages from the Faith in Australia during the transtasman iiigbt on Saturday were received by Aucklanders who listened-in. Anxiety j for the safety of the machine was not felt, however, as at the time of departure it was not known definitely whether or not the transmitter would function.

A defect in the transmitter was discovered by Mr. G. U. Allan while "carrying out tests on the flight between Hubsonvjlle and Muriwai on Friday, Two niembers of the New Zealand Radio Emergency Corps, who were camped at the beach, located a brokendown condenser, and installed a replacement which was obtained from Hobsonviile Air Base. Although the transmitter appeared to be in order when the new condenser had been fitted, the radio corps members could not get any stations with it when they carried out tests shortly before the take-oif on Saturday morning. It was thought likely that the machiiie would transmit signals sufficiently strong to be heard in New Zealand, when the trailing aerial was in use. and the wind-driven generator was functioning. Mr. Allan said he would send as many messages as possible if the transmitter was working properly. RECORD OF CROSSINGS PREVIOUS DIRECT TRIPS The time occupied by the Faith in Australia for the transtasmnn flight on Saturday, 14h 10m, is the same to a. minute as that taken bv Sir Charles Kingston! Smith in the Southern Cross on his trip from Australia to New Zealand last year. Tho fastest time for a transtasman flight was made in 1931 by Mr. Guy Menzies, who made a secret trip from Sydney to the west coast of tho South Island in I2h 12m. lho times taken on tho various direct flights across the Tasman are as follows:

}Ir. Guy Menzies . , Year 1931 Time 12h 12m Southern Cross to Australia 1033 13h 9m 14h 10m Southern Cross to N.Z. .. 1033 Faith in Australia— <o /' Australia 5931 14h 10m to New Zealand, 1933 14h 23m Southern Cross to N.Z. .. 1928 14h 25m Southern Cross to N.Z. . . 1934 15h 25m Southern Cross to Australia 1928 22h 51m