FLIGHT BEGUN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22864, 20 October 1937, Page 15

FLIGHT BEGUN

MISS JEAN BATTEN

TIMOR SEA CROSSED ARRIVAL AT B ATA VTA FAREWELL AT DARWIN By Tel;graph—Press Association —Copyright (Received October lit, 10.M5 p.m.) DARWIN. Oct. 19 Miss Jean Batten took off from Darwin at 6 a.m. to-day local time, j on the first stage of her flight to | England. | The Administrator of the Northern Territory, Mr. C. L. Abbott, J and his family, with whom the air- | woman had stayed while at Darwin, j and a number of wellwishers, bade her farewell. Asked whether she was glad she was starting Miss Batten replied: "Yes, but not as glad as I shall be when I turn for home." A cablegram from Koepang, Timor i Island, stated that the flier passed over i there at 8.10 a.m., local time. Later ; it was reported from Batavia that she j had arrived there at 4.45 p.m. local ; time. BROADBENT'S EFFORT RECORD TO AUSTRALIA FOG DELAYS DEPARTURE LONDON, Oct. 18 Fog prevented Mr. H. F. Broadbent leaving Hanworth to-day on his attempt to beat -Miss Batten's record to Australia. He says he hopes to go this week, possibly on Tuesday or Wednesday. His start will depend upon the weather. f The airman will use the machine with which he created the record from Australia to England, which Miss Batten will endeavour to lower. PROBABLE ROUTE EARLY STAGES OF TRIP AIRMAN'S OBJECTIVE LONDON, Oct, 13 The aim of Mr. H. F. Broadbent, holder of the Australia-England solo record and the round-Australia record, who will leave England shortly in an attempt to establish a new EnglandAustralia solo record, is to break the time of 5 days 21 hours established by Miss Batten last year. The early stages of his flight probably will be by way of Pome, Nicosia and Bagdad or Basra. Mr. Broadbent will be using the highwing Leopard Moth monoplane with a Gipsy Major engine of 1.30 horse-power in which he established the present Aus-tralia-England record of 6 days 8 hours 25 minutes. This aeroplane has a range, with special tanks, of 1700 miles, and a speed of 125 miles an hour, compared with a range of 2000 miles and a speed of 155 miles an hour possessed by the machine in which Miss Batten established the record which he is attempting to defeat, and in which she intends to attempt to break his AustraliaEngland record. FLIGHT TO CAPE

CLOUSTON SEEKS RECORD MAY START THIS WEEK LONDON, Oct. 18 Flying-Officer A. E. Clouston, a New Zealander in the Royal Air Force, is planning to make an attempt this week on Mrs. Amv Mollison's air record of

3 days 6 hours 29 minutes to the Cape. Flying-Officer Clouston will use the Miles Hawk VI. which he flew in the Johannesburg Centenary air race a year ago, when he crashed in Uganda.