THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1934 THE AIR RACE IN PROGRESS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21937, 22 October 1934, Page 8

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1934 THE AIR RACE IN PROGRESS

Speeding through the air, at a pace incredible not long ago, contestants in the race from England to. Melbourne have set out. The, eyes of at least half the world were upon them as they started. Not with the tense anxiety that in a near yesterday was felt, when first an ocean crossing was attempted or a long-distance flight of any sort essayed. The day for doubt about the possibility of such feats is definitely past. Great things have been done in this way —by women quite as remarkably as by men. The whole globe has been circumnavigated thus; the widest seas have been flown; both Poles have been visited ; continents have been scanned from end to end ; over Everest an airman has hovered to take pictures. Few routes remain unconquered, and the very road these competitors follow has been covered, alone and against time, by those whose names are as familiar in our mouths as household words. To vie with one another, even across its hazardous leagues, was probably no strange thought to any facing the starter at the Mildenhall aerodrome, nor is it strange to any practised in the progress of aviation. The excitement manifested by the onlookers there and abroad has a different origin—in the special circumstances setting this event apart. Save for the disastrous contest, some years ago, -from California to Hawaii, no flight at all like this has been arranged, and that is scarcely comparable, so devoid of due control was it, and so long before the art of aircraft construction had. reached the technical excellence now achieved. This one, under conditions imposed by the International Convention of Air Navigation and inspired by, a wish to prove that fast commercial flight over the long route is feasible, is in a class by itself. Added to that fact is the keenly competitive element, furnished by the participation of . noted pilots and the fashioning of machines especially designed to meet the taxing requirements of the race. It •would be strange indeed if a contest of this nature did not create a stir, even among peoples incorrigibly airminded.

? Nothing has been lacking at the start to make excitement intense. The interest grew as the day approached for competitors to present themselves with their machines, and deepened as it was realised that the enforcement of regulations was putting some of them under the necessity to make a last-minute adjustment of their plans. Their number was thus reduced, until only about a third of the likely entrants proved able to start, but these included many redoubtable pilots and there was still the interest attaching to the special aircraft. And the start itself has had all the expected thrill. Little can be precisely known of the feelings of the competitors themselves. Schooled by experience as most of them are to exacting tests, of skill in long-range flight, and well aware of the hazards it entails, they would naturally evince no unusual emotion ; yet their share in the thrill must have been real. No great effort of imagination is demanded j to appreciate their reaction to what every one of them has hoped would prove a historic occasion. Beneath an exterior calm has been many a quickened heart-beat as allotted places have been taken in the line, with the mile of runway ahead and the starter's flag held ready to send them off in quick sequence. Some final moments of consultation ; their entrusting with the written message to the people of Australia, for delivery, by the first to arrive; sharp twirling of propellers, and the roar of powerful engines ; then, on the signal, to get under way and gather speed until the welcome lift into the air and the sloping climb to the sky, and to settle down to the long task with every thought now ahead. Never in the history of human inventiveness has there been a scene quite like this. It will remain in the annals of aviation as one of deep import fittingly spectacular, but much more than that. Their fortunes have been various. The expectation of favouring weather has been somewhat belied. Some competitors have suffered in the earliest stage of the flight. Mishaps have occurred, delays been encountered and hopes of success dashed. The progress reports reveal, however, courage and patience in difficulty. Although the number of the contestants has been already reduced by these mischances, the race has still an enthralling interest. The pace attained by the leaders is such that they bid fair to shatter all records of England-Australia flying. This feature alone lends fascination to the reports, and there persists an exciting possibility that the leaders may be overtaken by others. The handicap section of the contest also promises to furnish an interesting finish. Admiration of the dogged perseverance of many unfortunate in the opening stage is compelled, and

some of these may yet reach Melbourne in good time. Astonishingly good as is the progress of the leaders, the race is by no means decided. Even after Darwin is reached, the final stage southward across Australia may test the competitors severely. It has hazards of its own, and by the time these are approached the pilots are likely to be feeling the strain of their long journey. The human factor, indeed, may play a deciding part. It has an increasing importance as the race progresses. A counteraction to fatigue will be provided by the heightening of hope when the goal is near, but even the leaders may be in need of all their physical reserve then. From first to last so long a flight calls for skill; at the end, skill will dwindle if stamina be unequal to the call. To its final moment, therefore, the race will be fraught with immense interest.