SURPRISE VISIT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23671, 1 December 1938, Page 22

SURPRISE VISIT

AMERICAN FLYING BOAT ONE DAY TRIP FROM NEW GUINEA (From Our Own Correspondent) SYDNEY, Nov. 24. The American flying boat Guba, owned by the millionaire explorer, Richard Archibald, which is bein" used by the American Museum of Natural History for its expedition in Dutch New Guinea, arrived at Rose Bay on Tuesday completing the first non-stop flight of 1750 miles from Port Moresby to Sydney. The visit of the sleek-twin-engined flying boat, which has been ferrying men and freight from Hollandia, on the coast of Dutch New Guinea, to the interior was a surprise. It was flown to Sydne" to convey back equipment which will arrive from the United States next week. Its flight from New Guinea to Sydney took 11J hours, at an average speed of 160 miles an hour. The Guba was the first American flying boat to land in Australian waters after a direct flight from beyond the Commonwealth. It was the first oversea machine to fly direct to Sydney. On its arrival at Rose Bay, the yellow quarantine flag was hoisted on a flying boat for the first time.

The flying boat carried a crew of five, comprising R. Rogers (pilot), Commander L. A. Yancey (navigator), R. Booth (radio engineer), G. Brown (mechanic), and S. Barrinka (mechanic). There were four passengers, Mr and Mrs K. Franks, Miss M. Franklin, and Mrs G. O. Higgins. Mr Franks is in charge of the wireless station at Port Moresby, and Miss Franklin is matron at Port Moresby.

On arrival is was revealed that the Guba, which is fitted with elaborate radio equipment, was unable to maintain communication with the wireless station at the Sydney airnort even when it was 25 miles off Sydney. It was, however, in touch with New Guinea, 1750 miles away, until it alighted on Sydney harbour.

When 300 miles from Sydney, the flying boat, which has a range of more than 4000 miles, called Kingsford. Smith aerodrome and was informed that there was bright sunshine over Sydney. The navigator, Commander Yancey, who flew the Atlantic from Maine to Spain in 1929 with Roger Williams, headed the no?e of the aircraft into a storm, expecting at any moment to break through into blue sky. In an endeavour to get over the top of the storm, the flying-boat climbed to 20,000 ft, where, in a temperature of lOdeg. below zero, the passengers wrapDed themselves in blankets as protection against the freezing cold.

"The expedition's coastal station in Dutch New Guinea is Hollandia, a fishing village about 700 miles from Port Moresby," said Commander Yancey. "The expedition's pilot, Mr R. Rogers, has been regularly flying heavy loads of supplies from the coast and landing on Lake Habema, which is 11,000 feet above sea level. Since July, Rogers, who is a famous flying boat test pilot, has flown 330,0001 b of equipment and 215 men inland. At the Grand Valley camp base there is a population of between 60,000 and 70,000 natives. They are of the stone-age type, and have no metal implements, but have plenty of sweet potatoes and pigs. .Our third base, Edinburg, is about 150 nautical miles from Hollandia. Associated with the expedition are six scientists, including four entomologists, a botanist, and a timber expert. The work of the expedition is progressing quickly and, at the present stage, it would appear that we will be there for another three months."