TASMAN FLIER

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22578, 17 November 1936, Page 11

TASMAN FLIER

UNEXPECTED FAME MR. CLARK'S MAIL PLANS FOR THE FUTURE INCIDENTS ON JOURNEY [flV TKT.EOKWII — PKKSS ASSOCIATION] CII RISTCHURCH, Monday T'nprepared for the fame which has descended upon him after his Tasman flight, Mr. Ernie Clark found himself surrounded to-day by heaps of correspondence, consisting chiefly of congratulatory letters and telegrams. So great was the task of dealing with tho messages received, that Mr. Clark was obliged to abandon his earlier plan of flying home to Waikari to-day. He now proposes to deal with further correspondence to-morrow morning, and to flv to his farm to-morrow afternoon. Mr. Clark said he had made no plans for the immediate future. He did not intend to lose touch with flying, but he was not contemplating anything in the nature of a tour of tho Dominion. During his visit to Britain, he had interested himself in the commercial side of aviation, and it was possible that he would make business visits to the chief centres of tho Dominion next month. Referring to a statement cabled from Sydney that he had carried on his flight a tomahawk and a hacksaw for cutting away the engine if he should he forced down at sea, Mr. Clark said he doubted his ability to perform this task. His main idea in carrying the tools was to cut a hole in the fuselage if forced down. He also intended to cut the petrol line above tlie tap, as without the petrol the aeroplane ought to have floated for a long time on a calm sea. Mr. Clark also carried flares, emergency rations, nad a quantity of fresh water. No Signs of Strain The flier showed 110 signs of the strain that he had undergone during his flight across the Tasman yesterday. Discussing blind flying, lie explained that.the airman had to rely implicitly 011 his instruments. He had to resist any temptation to act in accordance with his instincts. At times he felt sure that his machine was turning and was about to go into a spin, but his instruments told him that all was well and he had to trust them. Mr. Clark explained that about the nic-t costly essentials for a long flight were maps, and he had made his own. This had been a long and difficult task. Later be bad constructed a roller for use on the flight. For this he had used an old chocolate box. and his home-made maps had worked splendidlv. He mentioned that it was costly to;fly from England and said 110 thought that his running expenses were about £2OO. That did not include the price of his machine or depreciation, out covered petrol and oil and incidentals. Landing In tho Dark When lie arrived at Wigram last night Mr. Clark could not see tho ground in spite of the flares and motorcar lights. " I had to feel my way down. 1 flew down tho line of flares once to see that all was clear, and then made my landing." he said. "No. I could not see the crowd until it was suddenly, there. J was very surprised." On his way out Mr. Clark found the natives at various out of the way places where he landed very considerate. Soon after his machine came to rest there would be a big crowd in a wide circle round the aeroplane, but no one ever attempted to touch it. Last night his machine suffered a certain amount of damage from the crowd. "People knowthat when a motor-car is damaged it costs only a pound or two to repair it. but they do not realise that when there is damage to an aeroplane it costs at least ten times as much," he added. As he was leaving, the reporter remarked thf.t after all the publicity about shearing, Mr. Clark would really have to go and do some. " I think I will," came the smiling reply.