PILOT'S SKILL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23592, 28 February 1940, Page 11

PILOT'S SKILL

: DAMAGED AIRCRAFT FIGHT NEAR NORWAY STRUGGLES SAFELY HOME By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received February 6.82 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Feb. 2G A remarkable flight has been made by the pilot of a coastal command aeroplane, who, after three hours, brought his machine with a broken rudder back, over the North Sea and made a safe landing at his base. The aircraft was on a reconnaissance patrol toward the coast of Norway when the tail was damaged in a fight with a Dornier. Bullets wrecked the hinge of one of the double rudders.

As the British aircraft was diving to attack the Dornier close to the sea the flapping rudder made it practically uncontrollable.

The pilot, pulled out of the dive only a few feet above the water. Limping away he made a good target, but the Dornier had taken its own share of punishment and flew off badly damaged. Steering with Engines

After the fight the British pilot could not keep his machine flying straight. It vibrated violently from end to end and developed a corkscrew motion. He pulled open the emergency hatch above his head and the navigator and wireless operator opened the cabin door. All three had parachutes and life jackets ready.

Steering by varying the revolutions of the two engines, and manipulating the ailerons and the remaining half of the rudder, the pilot coaxed the aircraft back toward the base on the east cdast. Very soon it was dark and the pilot decided that his chances of making a safe landing were so small as to be negligible, so he prepared the crew to "bail out-" by parachute as soon as they saw they were over the land. /Over the Irish Sea V ' After nearly two hours the wireless operator, who had not been able to establish contact • with the base, succeeded in doing so. He asked the aircraft's position and in a few moments the answer came back and the crew were astonished to learn that they were over the Irisli Sea half way between the Cumberland coast and the Isle of Man.

With the wireless again in operation they "homed" back to the east coast. When the damaged tail of the machine was inspected it was found that in addition to the broken rudder a fracture had started across the main tailplane and crept two-thirds of the way across. MAGNETIC MINES, FAILURE OF DEVICE FACTORS RESPONSIBLE LONDON, Feb. 26 Hitherto unrevealed results of air activity in the first six weeks of the year are now disclosed. The sowing of magnetic mines has greatly decreased, partly owing to British bombers' " standing patrol " over the enemy seaplane bases in the Frisian Islands. The decrease is also partly due to bad weather, but contributory causes may be a shortage of mines and German disappointment at the results from those laid. Moreover,- the activities of the " standing patrol," which prevented seaplanes from taking off or returning, have apparently resulted in seaplane bases being moved back, to the Baltic.

ARREST OF GERMAN OBSERVANT SCHOOLGIRL I LONDON, Feb. 27 The action of a London schoolgirl led to the arrest of a German who took photographs of a wrecked aeroplane. The girl saw the man .taking photographs from beneath bis overcoat. She told a policeman and the German was arrested and _ sent to prison for a month. The girl came to Britain from Italy three years ago.