GREAT AIR FEAT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10540, 17 March 1920, Page 6

GREAT AIR FEAT

AOOOaiPLKHBD BY AUSTRALIAN FLYERS. Australian <"«' ALLAHABAD, March 14.

Lieutenants Parer and Macintosh, describing their long flight across the Kyrian desert, which was declared impossible by aviators in England, said they left Ramleh for Baghdad on February 27th, and crossed the Jordan at a height of 4000 feet, north of the Dead Sea. They struck a head wind and soon flying became- difficult. They crossed a long stretch of lava formation extending about a hundred miles, and flew for six hours without seeing, a habitation or any sign of living beings. The carburetter flooded necessitating a forced landing in the desert. After strenuous work it was repaired, "but later they were forced again to land in the desert. It was extremely hazy, as they had landed near a large stretch of water. They stayed all night, and early in the morning wore disturbed by Arabs, who told them they had landed on the shore of Lake llatbanijah, not far from Baghdad. Their Tjioin unxiety was whether their petrol would hold out. They transferred a few pints to the gravity tank, and rose again. The clouds were low, and it was raining. The Euphrates was sighted, and soon Baghdad became visible, and they found the aerodrome without difficulty. At the moment of landing they had a pint and a half of petrol—not sufficient to circle round the aerodrome. The actual flying time in crossing the desert was 8 hours 10 minutes. AIRMEN REACH CALCUTTA. ALLAHABAD, March 14. lieutenants Parer and Macintosh left Allahabad for Calcutta on Sunday, and intend waiting at Calcutta for Captain Matthews (who is delayed by a broken propeller). BOMBAY, March 14. Lieutenants Parer and Macintosh have arrived at Caloutta.