LOSS TO AVIATION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22427, 25 May 1936, Page 13

LOSS TO AVIATION

LATE ME. W. M. O'HARA

BOYHO.OD AT THE THAMES

SERVICE IN GREAT WAR NOTABLE TASMAN CROSSING The tragic death of Mr. W. M. O'Hara, who crashed in Australia yesterday in the early stages of his flight to his home in Java, is a severe loss to aviation. The late Mr. O'Hara, who was born at Thames in 1899, was the eldest son of Mrs. M. O'Hara and the late Mr. Patrick O'Hara, of Wharepoa, Thames Valley, who arrived from Ireland in the late 'nineties. Mr. O'Hara received his early education at the Kopu and other Thames Valley schools and later studied at Sydney University. Ho saw service during the Great War with the machine-gun corps, New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He enlisted as a private, but was promoted to commissioned rank before the conclusion of hostilities. Since the war Mr. O'Hara had been residing at Dampit, Java, where he bad interests in rubber and coffee plantations. He visited New Zealand in 1934 and before his departure for Australia in February, 1935, he spent some time with his mother and brother-in-law, Mr. E. Maclntyro, manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Warkworth, and his sister, Mrs. Maclntvre. He was unmarried. Mr. O'Hara first obtained a flying licence at the Perth Aero Club, Western Australia, some years ago. He had done considerable flying in Java, and since arriving in Australia from Auckland early in 1935 he had flown extensively. Identity Kept Secret Mr. O'Hara is best known for being the first New Zealander to make a solo flight across the Tasman. He accomplished this feat on October 19, 1935. He left Gerringong Beach, New South Wales, and landed at Mangere aerodrome, Auckland, taking 12h. 47m. for the journey. The type of machine used on that occasion —the same in which he crashed —was a British Klemm Eagle, a three-scater cabin aeroplane with a top speed of more than 145 miles an hour. He kept his identity secret up to the time of his departure from Australia. The flight was comparatively uneventful, but in landing at Mangere aerodrome after dark by the aid of flares Mr. O'Hara's machine struck a fence and was slightly damaged. "The reason for wishing to keep secret my identity was that I did not want to eauso my mother and relatives any anxiety," said Mr. O'Hara after his safe arrival. "However, I was quickly christened 'Pilot X' and for a day or two I had to play hide-and-seek with newspapermen all over Sydney. I had the role of elusive Pimpernel thrust on me and before long the whole affair developed into something of a comic opera. Finally, I was run to earth and the secret was out. "Sale and Comfortable" "The flight was safe and comfortable. T had a book and read a lot when it was not too rough. Before leaving Sydney I looked round a book shop and got a thriller with the biggest print I could find. The flight was; not tedious, as I had plenty to do, although I did not have the trouble of pumping by hand petrol from the cabin tank to the wing tanks. Automatic pumps took of the fuel supply. I had to feed the engine with oil, however, to keep pace with its normal consumption of a quart an hour. A pipe had been run from the cockpit to thg motor and every hour I poured a quart from tins in the cabin to the motor. When I landed there was still enough petrol to provide a comfortable margin." After spending some time in New Zealand, Mr. O'Hara left by the Monowai, arriving at Sydney on May 5. He then anuounced his intention of flying back to Java in his monoplane. Although his transtasman flight was unauthorised, the Australian Civil Aviation authorities, who had suspended his licence on that account, permitted him to undertake the journey to Java, as lie had a New Zealand flying licence. He left Mascot aerodrome, Sydney, last Monday afternoon and had intended flying by way of Gunnedah, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Derby and Darwin.