ENGLAND TO INDIA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20704, 30 April 1929, Page 11

ENGLAND TO INDIA

BRITISH AVIATORS’ FEAT. REMARKABLE TIME RECORDED. (British Official Wireless.) (United Press Association. < . (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) RUGBY, April 27. Great satisfaction has been caused by the fine accomplishment of SquadronLeader Jones-Williams and FlightLieutenant Jenkins in flying without a stop to India in the remarkable time of just over two days. When the Fairey monoplane was sighted over Karachi it was hoped that Bangalore, 1000 miles away, which was the intended destination, might be reached, and the world’s non-stop long-distance record of 22G0 miles (held by the Italian airmen Ferrarin and Del Prete) beaten. A slight disappointment is felt that this has not been achieved. Little doubt is expressed in aviation circles that the record would have been beaten but for an unexpected head wind, against which the airmen struggled between Jask and Karachi. This caused increased fuel consumption, and a considerable reduction in speed. It appears that the aviation branch of the Meteorological Oflice, which provides weather information for the guidance of pilots, and whose forecasts, have been remarkably accurate all through, judged from reports it Received that there was a following wind up to 35 miles an hour along the Persian Gulf up to GOOD feet. It then learned that the airmen were over Bagdad at 10,000 feet, and presumably were going to maintain that height. When later the average speed of the airmen dropped severely, the chagrin of the weather experts may be imagined, for a gift of 30 miles an hour had been unused. This has suggested that in future flights a light-weight portable wireless set should be carried, if only for receiving messages. The distance flown to Karachi, however, was 4130 miles, which was short of the Italian record by only 334 miles. The pilot’s feat, despite this disappointment, is a striking success. It has brought the East nearer the West than any previous journey, in history, and it has a vital bearing on the future development of Empire airways and defence.

On the design of this first, experimental machine will be based the construction of still more efficient air mail and military machines able to cover vast distances without refuelling. It is regarded as certain that development work on lines successfully proved in this nonstop plane will shortly produce a mailcarrying craft able to reach India from London regularly in little more than two days. The extension of routes further east, will eventually take mails to Australia in five or six days. The flight has provided the most important military data. Those in charge of the defence of the Empire know that war machines can be built capable in an emergency of being flown to India at a high speed in two long hops without being forced to alight on foreign territory. The machine used is a beautifullystreamlined monoplane constructed by the Fairey Aviation Company at its works at Hayes, near London. It is propelled by a 530 h.p. Napier Lion water-cooled engine, akin to the Napier racing engines which are fitted to the fastest aeroplane and the fastest car in the world—namely, the supermarine S 5 monoplane, flown at 319 i miles an hour by FLght-Lieutehant D’Arcy Greig, and Sir Henry Segrave’s Golden Arrow. Inside the plane fuselage space is provided for a bed, where the pilot off duty may rest. The rations carried for the journey were three thermos flasks of coffee and tea, two one-gallon cans of weak tea, six gallons of drinking water, three weeks’ iron rations, fifty tongue-and-ham sandwiches, and dates, chocolates, apples and oranges. 5 .