THE TRANSTASMAN FLIGHT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20311, 20 January 1928, Page 7

THE TRANSTASMAN FLIGHT.

NO FINANCIAL EMBARRASSMENT. AUSTRALIAN SUGGESTIONS RESENTED. (Per United Press Association.) DANNEVIRKE, January 19. Captain Kight, on his return to Dan« nevirke, takes strong exception to statements in Australian newspapers that the New Zealand airmen were under any financial embarrassment in Australia. He says that a number of the statements published is quite untrue. Messrs A. M'Nicol and R. J. Macdonald, trustees of the flight fund, state that at no time did they receive word that the men needed money in Australia, and so far as can be seen at present the fund is capable of rpeeting all expenses in connection with it. Captain Kight further states that the only reason why the flight was made jit the particular time was because tne weather report was favourable, and the airmen decided to take advantage of it. THE HAMILTON ASPIRANT. LETTER POSTED TO MAJOR DE HAVILAND. (Peb United Press Association.* HAMILTON, January 19. Referring to the cabled statement of Major de Haviland, in Melbourne, that be had never heard of Philip Bailey, the Hamilton Transtasman flight aspirant, the latter states that he wrote a long letter to de Haviland, and this communication will not have reached Australia yet. CAPTAIN MOODY’S ATTEMPT. SERIES OF TEST FLIGHTS. SYDNEY, January 19. Captain Moody now states that Mr* Moody will not accompany him on the proposed Tasman flight. He will take as wireless operator Mr Osmond Jolley. Mrs Moody is a niece of Sir Thomas Mackenzie. Captain Moodv says he proposes to fly the Mascot to 'New Plymouth, which is about 300 miles shorter than the route Lieutenant Moncrieff and Captain Hood took, being about 1150 land uiles. Ho believes that it can he covered in about 12 hours. Before’ embarking on the Tasman flight it is the intention of the airmen to undertake test flights for at least 50 or 40 hours overland, including one endurance flight of about 17 hours, which is longer than it would take to reach New Zealand. The machine will have a cruising radius of 2200 miles at an average speed of 100 m.p.h., and will»carry three compasses and a reliable wireless transmitter. The time of the flight will bo arranged so as to arrive in New Zealand early in the afternoon.