HISTORIC FLIGHT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23889, 17 August 1939, Page 11

HISTORIC FLIGHT

AOTEAROA TAKES OFF -—.— / FOLLOWING NORMAL ROUTES THE PERSONNEL ANNOUNCED (United Press Association) (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) LONDON, Aug. 15. The ground staff of the Imperial Airways Depot at Southampton worked 24 hours without a break preparing the Aotearoa for her takeoff at dawn to-morrow, August 16, on the historic delivery flight to Auckland. The final trial flight today proved that everything is shipshape. The mechanics were employed, well into the night on a lastminute check. The normal Empire air routes will be followed. The Aotearoa's crew will be as follows: Captain: John Burgess, of Dunedin, who made the round flight in the Centaurus. First officer: W. J. Craig, of Wanganui, who had a meteoric rise after joining Imperial Airways in 1937, having gone to England on a short-service commission to the Royal Air Force. Radio officer: G. W. Gussans, of Belfast. Flight steward: R. A Phillips, of Melbourne. The Aotearoa will also carry the engineers R. S. Peek and E. R. MacNamara (both of New Zealand), S. J. Bradshaw (of London), and B. Knee (of Middlesex). The technician is J. Brown, of London. All will remain in New Zealand, (Captain Burgess as chief trans-Tasman pilot. The Aotearoa is on the slips tonight. Nearby is the famous transAtlantic seaplane Mercury and the sister ships Caribou and Centaurus, which arrived this morning from Basra, deputising in the mail service for the damaged flying boat Australia. THE BOAT TAKES OFF LONDON, Aug. 16. (Received Aug. 17, at 1.30 a.m.) The Aotearoa took off for Auckland at 4.43, G.S.T.