“THE FLYING COFFIN”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21982, 17 June 1933, Page 11

“THE FLYING COFFIN”

MOLLISONS’ GREAT GAMBLE ~! . CROSSING THE ATLANTIC. LONDON, June 7. “I call her ‘The Flying Coffin,’ and thought of fitting her with brass handlebars.” Mr J. A. Mollisou grinned and pointed to the sky, where the de Havilland Dragon Seafarer, with her dull black finish, floated out in readiness for the rehearsal of the most ambitious flight in history. The flight—a dual one by Mr and Mrs Mollison—will be from London to New York, a day’s rest, then back across the Atlantic, non-stop, to Bagdad. lfN The Seafarer is a standard commercial plane, but the space normally occupied by six passengers has been replaced with extra petrol tanks, holding 600 gallons. The Mollisons will sit in a small glassenclosed cockpit, behind which, partly beneath the petrol tank, is a tiny camp bed, with three-inch legs, to enable them to sleep in turns. The plane is so packed with tanks and special equipment that it will be only possible for them to crawl in the cockpit on their stomachs. Mr Mollison says that it is going fa be the biggest gamble of their lives. “ We are killing three birds with one stone, aiming first at a London to New York flight, then a return journey over the Atlantic after a day’s rest, which I wanted to do myself last year, and this flight to be continued into a non-stop record to Bagdad, beating Squadronleader Gayford’s 5200 miles from London to the Capo. “ Afterwards we will return to Croydon, completing' 12,000 miles. We are then going to relax, as we cannot gamble with hick indefinitely. Amy says she won’t be left behind again, as the strain of waiting is worse than flying.” The plane is equipped with two Gipsy engines of 130 horse-power each, and has a maximum speed of 134 miles an hour. Its range is 6000' miles. When loaded it weighs over three tons, equivalent to two tons overload. The tail wheel can be dropped in the air. The Mollisons satisfactorily completed a nine-hour halfload flight. It was impossible to experiment in taking off with a full load, because the plane would have to remain in the air 30 hours to drain the tanks sufficiently to land safely.

The Mollisons intended to begin their flight on Juno 8, but a strut broke when the machine was starting, and the crossing has been delayed.