HALSE CRASHES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22539, 2 October 1936, Page 11

HALSE CRASHES

LONG LEAD AT TIME ACCIDENT IN LANDING DOWN 685 MILES FROM GOAL By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright JOHANNESBURG, Sept. :so Bad hick to-day overtook the South African competitor in the air race. Captain S. 8. Halse, who crashed when he was leading his rivals by hours and was within 685 miles of his goal. He has withdrawn from the contest and is now in hospital suffering from a dislocated arm. bruises on the head and complete exhaust ion.

Captain Halse, who was the scratch man in the race, had reached Bombosliawo, about 20 miles from Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, this evening when the accident occurred.

The airman had arrived at Mbeva. Rhodesia, at noon, British standard time, and left at 12.10 p.m. for Salisbury. He was not feeling well, and it was thought he might land at Mpika or Broken Hill for a rest. He was delayed at Mbeva longer than he anticipated, owing to magneto trouble, and during his enforced wait ho made every effort to rest and shake off a feeling of weariness and sickness, due to "bumpy" conditions. In an interview in hospital, the injured man said: "My instruments gave me trouble for the greater part of the day and I could not find Salisbury. Stability and visibility were bad from the smoke of numerous veldt fires.

"Having only five minutes' daylight left I decided to land and selected a suitable field, but when I was slowing up my machine struck an antheap and capsized." Halso's arm was set under an anaesthetic, after which he slept. It is reported that the machine was completely wrecked. Following a check-up on his time, it is discovered that Captain Halse covered 5450 miles in approximately '3s} hours, at an average speed of 153.5 miles an hour. His total flying time was 32 hours and his average speed for the time he was actually in the air 170 miles an hour.

CLOSE STRUGGLE SCOTT AND LLEWELLYN DIFFERENT ROUTES TAKEN JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 30 Scott and Guthrie landed at Abercorn, Northern Bhodesia, at 9.30 p.m. yesterday. They were very tired and decided to sleep until 2 a.m. to-day (British standard time) and then leave for Johannesburg non-stop. These two fliers and Mr. D. Llewellyn had left Khartoum together and flown on to Kistimu, Kenya, at 2 p.m. From that point the struggle for first place —the former leader, Captain Halse, having crashed —lay between Scott and Guthrie and Llewellyn. They were flying neck and neck until the morning, but then took different routes.

Llewellyn passed over Entebbe, Uganda, in the afternoon and was reported subsequently as going well.

Mr. Ken Waller and Flight-Lieuten-ant Findlay arrived at Khartoum. An outstanding surprise was the news that Mr. Victor Smith (South Africa) is still participating in the race. He left Skoplje, Yugoslavia, but again was dogged by ill-luck and made a forced landing 20 miles outside Salonika. He said he would resume after repairs had been effected. Smith had landed at Skoplje owing to oil trouble and announced that he had abandoned the race.

DOMINION ENTRANT MR. (HOUSTON'S CAREER DUTIES AS TEST PILOT [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] NELSON, Thursday Flying-Officer A. E. Clouston is 28 years old. He is the son of Mr. ami Mrs. R. E. Clouston, of Neudorf, Nelson, and was born at Motueka. He went to school at Collingwood and at the age of 14 went to sea, which calling he followed for some time until he suffered an illness and returned to the land. Mr. Clouston became engaged in the motor business in Nelson and on the West Coast and later took up flying at Blenheim, where he trained under Captain Chandler. After a few months, at the age of 21, he sailed for England, where he was with the Fai rev Aviation Company for some months until he joined the Royal Air l-orce.

At present Mr. Clouston occupies the position of chief test pilot to the Aii i Ministry and has been given timo off to permit him to participate in the | race. NEW ZEALAND FLIGHT POSSIBILITY DISCLOSED [hy TELEGRAPH —OWN' correspondent] NAPIER, Thursday The possibility that Flying-Officer A. E. Clouston may fly to New Zealand next Christinas is disclosed by his brother, Mr. F. N. Clouston, of Napier. Plans for such a flight had actually been completed last year and the airman was ready to leave when he was offered the post as chief test pilot at the Royal Air Force station at Farnborough. "My brother had every intention of (Iving to New Zealand last Christinas and bad actually asked uie in an a4r mail letter to make preparations for a secret landing at Motueka," said Mr Clouston yesterday. "Thereupo.i, I despatched plans of the landing ground at Motueka to England." Mr. Clouston added that his brother had postponed the flight to New Zealand indefinitely, but probably would undertake it next Christmas. In the (light as originally planned he intended to use his own two-seater do Soutter aeroplane, but he had since received offers of machines with speeds of about 200 miles an hour. • Mr. Clouston, in giving a brief account of his brother's flying career, disclosed how an acrobatic display before Wing-Commander Grant Dalton, thei\ Director of Aviation, paved the way f?r his entry, to the Royal-Air Force.