PROGRESS IN AVIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3443, 9 March 1920, Page 16

PROGRESS IN AVIATION.

(By Cable.) CAIRO TO THE CAPE. CAIRO, February A third .Vickers-Vimy machine, piloted by Major Welsh and Captain Halley, and described as a service Vickers-Vimy, has departed for Assouan, en route for the Cape, carrying five passengers. LONDON, February 27. Lieutenant. Cotton, flying in the Cairo to the Cape in an Airco machine, was forced to land. The machine was damaged, but the crew are safe. CAIRO, February 28. Lieutenant Parer spent four days overhauling his machine before resuming his journey. He reached Ramleh on Thursday and intends to traverse the desert to Bagdad over the new route. This is a daring attempt to break new ground. He will take extra petrol for the last stage of 620 miles, as there are no landing places, and the normal supply is sufficient for only 600 miles. He arrived safely at Bagdad. Rynefeld's machine, which is taking part in the Cairo to Cape flight, passed Shinyanga, 103 miles north of Tabora (East' Africa), on Friday, February 27. LONDON, March 1. Colonel Van Rynefeld is the only flier left in the Cairo to Cape race, lieutenant Cotton's and Captain Cockerell's machines were wrecked, Major Brackley came to grief near Atbara, and Major Welsh's was forced to descend at Korosko (in Upper Egypt), his machine being damaged. CAPETOWN, March 6. The Silver Queen machine crashed after leaving Bulawayo. Her pilots, Vaurynevel and Brand, were slightly injured. - . - FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA. •- LONDON, February 28. Captain Wilkin's flight to Australia has been abondoned, and he is selling his Kangaroo machine at Crete. He will visit Australia before joining Cope's Antartio expedition, the start of which has been delayed until 1921: ..ALLAHABAD, March 2. Lieutenants Mackintosh and Uarer, two demobilised air officers, arrived at Bagdad on March 1 en route to Australia. They are flying a privately-owned De Haviland machine. They left London on January 8, and accomplished the first long fly across the Syrian desert, via Rumadi, instead of Damascus. KARACHI, March 3. Captain Matthews has arrived from Jask, where he made a forced landing on February 23 to repair his aeroplane propeller, which was shakyo He may remain here awaiting a new propeller Calcutta. FLIGHT TO TOKIO. KARACHI (India), March 2. Ferarin, an Italian aviator, who is flying to Tokio, after a stop at Bunder Abbas, left Charbor this morning for Karachi, where he arrived the same day. Strong winds compelled him to descend near Pasni. A second Italian machine, piloted by Lieutenant Masiers, has arrived at Karachi. . ' WORLD'S ALTITUDE RECORD. NEW YORK, February 28. At Dayton, Ohio, Major Schroder reached the world's record aeroplane altitude of 36,020 ft. His eyeballs became frozen, and he let his machine fall five miles, but the pilot then recovered control of his machine, and landed uninjured. NEW ZEALAND-AUSTRALIAN SERVICE. SYDNEY, March 7. An Australasian aerial transport,. company will shortly be registered at Melbourne with a capital of £700,000. Thecompany when established will convey passengers, cargo, and mails between Australia and New Zealand. A SPECIAL STAMP. MELBOURNE, March 2. To commemorate the first overseas aerial mail the Government has issued a special stamp for 320 letters which Sir Ross Smith carried from England. The design is a flying aeroplane, miniature maps of Britain and Australia, with a burning torch be-, tween them.