AVIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3566, 18 July 1922, Page 21

AVIATION.

FLIGHT ROUND THE WORLD. REPAIRS IN MID-DESERT. CAIRO, July 12. Major Blake’s machine developed engine trotfble between Ziza and Bagdad. Both machines have landed in mid-desert, where repairs are being carried out. BAGDAD, July 14. Major Blake states that the journey from Aboukir was full of incident. On landing at Ziza the shock-absorber of the under-carriage gave way. The damage was soon repaired, but Malins was suffering from heat, and it was necessary to send a wireless to Amman for a doctor. He thought that Malins would be better for a day’s rest, so they deferred their start for Bagdad and camped for the night in the desert, Ziza being a mere spot in the desert, 50 miles east of the Dead Sea. There was not a regular aerodrome. On Wednesday morning the machines began their flight to Bagdad over 600 miles of waterless desert, marked only by a track which a motor convoy made last year. As the pilot of the VickersVernon aeroplane had done the journey before, he led the way. The VickersVernon also carried the stores, including 15 gallons of drinking water and emergency rations ‘‘We had been flying one and a-half hours,” said Major Blake, “when the Vickers-Yernon lost its way owing to our distracting the pilot’s attention by flying close to his machine to enable Malins to obtain photographs. The Vickers-Vernon landed and we followed, but went up again and searched for the route. When we found it the Vickers Vernon followed behind us. The heat was intense, and we experienced terrific bumps. The heat was so great that the Vickers-Vernon could not rise above 500 feet. Two wireless aerials were carried away as the result of hitting rocks. Ealf an hour later the Vickers-Vernon had to descend again, as repairs to the oil pumps were necessary, but the engine was still running badly, so I decided to continue alone, flying until dusk. We landed at Eljid, where we wero well received by the Arabs, one of whom wore a rusty gillette razor suspended from the right ear. After we had kissed the sheiks and the headman, a sheep was killed in our honour and we were forced to carry away the bleeding carcase in our aeroplane. At dawn on Thursday we started on the last lap of the Brgdad flight. On several occasions we had to fly around in circles before we could pick up the track, and consequently exhausted our petrol before reaching Ramadie. This was awkward, but by draining all the petrol tanks and pouring the spirit thus obtained into one gravity tank, we just managed to raise enough to enable us to get into the air again and crawl to Ramadie. Here a political officer gave us beer and food. A few minutes later a machine from Bagdad, which had been searching the desert for us, as we were long overdue, appeared. Thus we reached Bagdad sorry spectacles, unshaven and dirty, as we had been unable to wash for three davs, but all felt quite fit after food and a bath. The aeroplane engine is behaving splendidly.” ANOTHER PARTY PROPOSED. LONDON, July 12. The Australian Press Association learns that a prominent group of English airmen is advancing arrangements lor new world flight in the event of Major Blake failing. The party will consist of two pilots, a first-class navigator, and a special engineer. The present intention is to use a. very large twin-engined flying boat. The course probably* will be down the coast of France and Spain to Madeira, Cape Verde Island and Pernambuco, following from Spain the route which was recently flown by the Portuguese navigators across the Atlantic ; thence down the east coast of South America to a point south of the River Plate, crossing from the Argentine to Chile over the Lower Andes; then northwards to Valparaiso, from which a course will be taken almost due west, touching at Juan Fernandez and Easter Island. The party is requesting the Chilian Government to' station a warship midway between Juan Fernandez and Easter Island for the purpose of obtaining fuel or in case of emergeney. From Easter Island the aviators will proceed to Ducie Island and Pitcairn Island; then through the Pacific group to a point in North Australia, from which the homeward route will he taken along the track Sir Ross Smith took in his flight to Australia. THE BURNEY SCHEME. LONDON, July 10. The Daily Express understands tfiat the Air Council is advising the Government to reconsider its decision to scrap the airships and their bases. It considers that an Empire Air Service scheme based oil the use of six airships, instead of the five

proposed under the Burnev scheme, would be capable of producing excellent results. The council recommends the provision of £BO,OOO annually for 10 years for military craft, which, subject to certain modifications, would be allocated to the Burney scheme. MISFORTUNE IN JAPAN. TOKIO, July 11. Following a gas explosion, Japan’s only dirigible was totally destroyed by fire inside the shed. If was recently purchased from England at a high price. INVISIBLE AIRSHIPS. PARIS, July 14. In a series of tests over Paris, the military achieved considerable success in the direction of rendering aircraft invisible. Every effort is being made to perfect the discovery, which would give a tremendous war-time advantage to a nation possessing such a secret.