PIONEER FLIGHT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22584, 24 November 1936, Page 6

PIONEER FLIGHT

THE PACIFIC SPAN STORY OF PASSENGER A FAULTLESS FORMULA BY joirx WILLIAMS HONOLULU, Nov. 12 As a guest of Pan-American Airways I was privileged to bo the first New Zealander to fly the Pacific in a Clipper plane. 1 joined a party of seven American pressmen, whose stories and pictures were relayed to the whole world, to make the first passenger flight to the Orient. Alameda, the airport of San Francisco across at Oakland, was left on October 7, and what follows is a diary depicting the highlights of the eighteen thousand transocean flight flown to the minute on schedule. The greatest thrill is the first takeoff. The airport manager orders the system of loud speakers to announce: "All aboard for Honolulu, Midway, [Wake, Guam and Manila!" Eight thousand five hundred miles of ocean flying started as casually as you take a train from Auckland to Welling- ! sink into deeply-cushioned seats in the yarious compartments of the giant plane. The main passageway is 80 feet long. The roar of the motors is dulled to a gentle rumble by the scientific sound-proofing system. There is no vibration, even when the commander orders the mooring lines let go and he taxis the clipper out into the takeoff area. Fleeting Impressions Instautly there are snapshot impressions. Things arc happening last. The clipper cuts through the water at one third throttle of her total .'5600 horsepower, which gives her water surface speed of 40 m.p.h. Through the curtained portholes there are swift cameos. The slip-stream of the motors is lashing the water into spray and scattering it far behind. A Pan-American crash-boat bounces in our wake, but we feel like laughter, such unbounded faith have wo in our clipper. . . . Finally we reach the end of the harbour runway. The clipper turns without swaying in her own length, her streamlined nose is turned into the wind, and the commanding pilot gives the dipper her head. . . . There is a fearful sense of power as the motors step up to full throttle. There is still no noise in the cabin: the rumble is just a bit more pronounced. That's all . . . The 26-tons clipper literally leaps at her work. Soon she passes her full stalling speed (65 m.p.h.) preparing for the last magnificent effort to clear the water. In 54 seconds this is done. She shakes herself free and bounces off her tail into the air, the water dripping from her hull, the drops cascading ,like glittering diamonds to the harbour below . . . Limitless Sea of Clouds The pilot jtuts her into a steady, faultless climb. We undo our safety belts, settle down to watch the swiftly changing panorama below. Up and up the great plane -limbs without effort. At 1000 feet the throttle is shut back to 48 per cent engine poAver (which is the standard position for the whole flight), giving us & speed of 140 m.p.h. in still air. Up and up we go until we are through the clouds at 10.000 s feet, when -the clipper is levelled off. The outside temperature is 50 degrees, but the air-conditioning system keeps our cabins at 70 without any humidity. From time to time the flight steward watches this, by switching a dial makes it warmer or colder, whichever we request". There is nothing much to see: just a limitless- sea of clouds. The sun is sinking fast. Soon it will set. We look forward to darkness, which means dinner. Flying high makes you hungry. Most of the time we use the main compartment. 14 feet square. We have erected a 10ft. long ping pong table: started the first transpacific air championship. Two of our comrades are trying to sleep in a cabin next door. They call .out: "Pipe down.". Hearing is normal just as on land. Dinner is Served Our only worry is that we cannot smoke or drink alcohol. But the flight steward brings us all the tea and coffee we want. It is heated by a chemical coil, in turn generated by the exhaust from one of the inboard motors. It takes only five minutes to boil a quart. If you like, you may order iced drinks. There is a large refrigerator which holds many an appetising morsel. Finally someone says: "Here comes dinner." There is a warm smell of hot food from the galley. The menu, 30.000 feet above the Pacific, in the dark, skimming in and out of clouds in the light: Asparagus soup, saltina crackers, icehard butter. Then fricassee chicken, stewed tomatoes, stewed mushrooms. Chocolate cake, ice cream, coffee! The steward changes from his regular navy blue serge suit to starched white. monkey jacket and gold buttons. and white Pan American cap at jaunty angle. The moon is almost full and it is filling the great cloud valleys with cold shadows. We think of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm, whose pioneering made our flight possible. They, too, spoke of the cloud shadows, likening them to vast, limitless canyons. Two "of the boys disturb our thoughts. They say: "Think we'll shave and turn in. It will be a hard day in Honolulu to-mo.rrow." They retire to the hot. and cold running water facilities. The steward makes up Pullman beds, wider than those on trains. Each bed has individual reading lights. The cabin temperature is changed so that only sheet covers are necessary. Soon we are all asleep. Next thing ■vre know, the steward is shaking our shoulders, politely informing us: "We will land in Honolulu within 30 minutes. It is just 6 o clock. If J" 01 ' care to see the sun rising, look out of the windows across the passage . . . Two Anzac Pioneers Flying 2400 miles of ocean is just as simple as that. I cannot help thinkine of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and his followers. The faultless long night of flying has proved to us that Pan American have it down to a formula. This formula is in black and white for every mile of the long flight, and it is up to the crews to see that the mechanical functioning of the aeroplane matches the formula. It is as simple as that to a crew trained in ocean flying. At the end of each trip, each officer turns in reports and tliev must check with the formula. ]f they "do not, he is asked why. The* motors function best at a certain altitude, the plane moves forward at a certain speed at a certain throttle. And so on through the formula, which is based upon the one critical factor of long range flying: fuel consumption and efficiency. Three of the other reporters, too, in our party knew Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm intimately. At dinner we could not overcome our sentimental feelings of respect to those two great Anzac pioneers. We raised cups of steaming coffee and toasted their brave memories. Thev led the world in making the bewildered public think in terms of ocean flying.