SPEEDING SOUTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22933, 11 January 1938, Page 11

SPEEDING SOUTH

THE SAMOAN CLIPPER KINGMAN REEF LANDING ARRIVAL LATE TO-MORROW The Sikorsky flying-boat Samoan Clipper, of Pan American Airways, left Honolulu for Kingman Reef, on her way to New Zealand, at 5.33 o'clock yesterday morning, New Zealand time, half an hour after the Empire machine Centaurus had taken off from Auckland for Sydney. The Clipper reached Kingman Reef at 12.21 yesterday afternoon, according to advice received by radio :n Auckland, the flight having occupied 6h 48m.

In command of the Clipper is Captain Edwin C. Musick, who has brought the ship to Auckland twice previously. No other details of the crew were given in the brief message received by Mr. A. L. Lewis, airport manager for the company in Auckland, but it was expected that Captain Musick would have with him as first officer Captain C. Sellers.

A favourable forecast for the next section of her flight, from Kingman Reef to Pago Pago, was issued last night by Mr. E. B. Buxton, the Pan American meteorologist in Auckland. The Clipper was expected to leave Kingman Reef this morning, at 4.30 New Zealand time, and to reach Pago Pago in the afternoon. Provided that the weather on the Clipper's course remains fair, she is likely to take off from Pago Pago as soon as it is light to-morrow morning, and to land on the Waitemata Harbour at about five o'clock in the afternoon. The Clipper is probably carrying freight from the United States, although arrangements have not yet been made for mail to be carried on the southward flights. According to present arrangements, the Sikorsky will take off from Auckland before dawn on Saturday for Pago Pago, in continuation of her regular fortnightly service across the South Pacific. She will carry mail, as well as freight, on the northward flight. OCEAN SERVICES BRITAIN AND AMERICA VALUE OF CO-OPERATION [BY TELEGRAPH—OWN cortikspondentJ WELLINGTON. Monday "Co-operation between England and the United States in the inauguration of air services over the Pacific Ocean and the lasinan Sea has a significance that should gratify those people who advocate the drawing together of these two nations, whose foreign policies run on parallel lines," said Mr. A. Archer, a New York business man, who is visiting Wellington. The meeting of the Imperial Airways' flving-boat Centaurus and the Pan American Airways' Samoan Clipper at Auckland was a meeting of America and England in the common purpose of circling the earth with air services

3lr. Archer is particularly interested in air services, having travelled widely and covered about 50,000 miles by air. Tile two great nations were co-operat-ing in the Atlantic service, said Mr. Archer. For a time they had been approaching the problem separately, but a surprise flight by a German aeroplane from the Azores had demonstrated that there was competition from a third source, with the result that Britain and America were now working together for the inauguration of a service. While it was not definite that the Governments were directly concerned, it was obvious that the air services would have strategic value for defence purposes and their establishment indicated closer contact.

One of the most interesting developments in air services Mas in Canada, said Mr. Archer. For a number of years air facilities had lapsed in that country, but they were being revived and modernised. Larger aeroplanes were being used and chains of landing fields, with runways up to 3000 yards, were being provided. It would soon be possible to breakfast at Montreal and dine at Vancouver, 2500 miles away. High praise for New Zealand's air services was given by Mr. Archer, who considered that they compared favourably with those in other countries.