AVIATION

Otago Witness, Issue 3674, 12 August 1924, Page 19

AVIATION

WORLD FLIGHTS. LONDON, August 3. The American flier Nelson has reached Horna Fiord (Iceland) from Kirkwall. Smith and Wade restarted for Iceland in ideal weather. Wade descended 115 miles off the Orkneys. Smith has reached Iceland. Lieutenant Wade descended in the sea midway between Scarpa Flow and Horna Fiord. His machine was taken in tow by a trawler. VANCOUVER, August 4. The British world flight has been abandoned. A wireless message from Major Maclaren at Nikalski states that the wings, floats, and tail of his machine were smashed, and as spares were not available it was necessary to abandon the flight. The hull and engine were salvaged and taken on board the trawler Tliiepval. The machine fell near Nikolski on Saturday, as Major Maclaren was "about to complete his flight from Petropavlovsk. The Thiepval reached Nikolski on Saturday evening, having hurried from Petropavlovsk after the aeroplane had departed from there on Thursday. Major Maclaren, in a later message, states that, owing to a thick fog, he was forced to descend near the Komandorski Islands, damaging his machine seriously. He will return by way of Vancouver in the Thiepval.

LONDON, August o. A message from Major Maclaren addressed to the Air Ministry in L-ondon says:— "For the sake of the Air Force I am sorry I have failed, but the conditions were almost impossible for flving.” LONDON, *August 4. Lieutenant Wades machine was abandoned after it had capsized in a heavy sea. The Italian airman, Signor Located, has arrived at Hull from Amsterdam on his flight across the Atlantic. WASHINGTON, August 4. The War Department announces that it Lieutenant Wade’s machine cannot be repaired he is definitely out of the world night. LONDON, August 2. Major Zanni has arrived at Karachi (India). DELHI, August 5. Major Zanni has reached Nasii-abad. August o. Major Zanni has arrived at Allahabad. VANCOUVER, August o. Major Maclaren’s message transmitted from Cordova, says that the three airmen had difficulty in keeping the engine running till they reached the surf at the foot of tlie Behring Island cliffs, in the Komandorski Group, eastward of Kamel, at lea. He wirelessed: “Sorry we failed at the last moment. The engine was perfectly magnificent, having run tor hundreds of hours under all conditions of climate, without replacement of any kind. We had to fly above the fog, and if the engine had ’failed it would have meant certain death.- The previous gear trouble was due to the machine being too heavily loaded.’’ , Major Maclaren added that his confidence in the engine had been so great that no spare parts were carried after the plane was put into flight at Akyab (i>urma). and no parts were required until the Komandorski disaster occurred. ANOTHER ATTEMPT PROPOSED. LONDON, August 6. Major Blake, the well-known is appealing for £25,000 for another British attempt at a world flight early in 1525. PARIS AIR TRAGEDY. PARIS, August 3. An aviation fatuity in similar circumstances to the one which was recorded last month, occurred at Boreau. Captain Piosolle crashed in the street, and was carried dead to his own home nearby. Both crashes were due to flying too low and striking the electric wires. VETERAN AIRMAN KILLED. NEW YORK, August 3. William Blanchfield, a veteran flyer, was killed while flying low in advance of a funeral to drop flowers on a comrade’s grave. His plane got out of control and nose-dived. It struck a house, an explosion following. THE AMERICAN ATTEMPT. NEW YORK, August Y. A telegram from Newport News (Virginia) says that United States airmen “hopped off’’ for Pictou, Nova Scotia, in a Douglas cruising ’plane in which Lieutenant Wade, whose machine was wrecked en route to Iceland will resume his round-the-world flight. The landing place for the world fliers on their next “hop” is located on the East Coast of Greenland at Ekalut, so the Military Depot has been informed. Ekalut is 750 miles from Reykjavik, in Iceland, where two aeroplanes have been awaiting word that the expected early resumption of the finish of the 26,000mile air line around the world is now to be made. MAJOR ZANNUS PROGRESS. DELHI, August /. Major Zanni has left Allahabad for Calcutta. AMERICAN ATTEMPT ABANDONED. OFFICIAL ACTION A SURPRISE. WASHINGTON, August 8. In reference to a report from Iceland that Admiral Magruder, whose flagship is the Richmond, had summoned a conference to discuss the advisability of calling off the world flight of the American aviators because of the ice conditions on the Greenland coast, the army and air officials declare that no despatches have been received from the army’s advance party accompanying the world’s flyers or from the naval convoy indicating any necessity for abandoning the flight. Admiral Magruder's action is a complete surprise, as the latest official reports received here are decidedly optimistic. Major Rader, aide in charge of the flight, declared: “Our airshaps will come on just the sifftie even if the navy decides to withdraw the warships guarding the line of flight.” LIGHT AEROPLANE CLUBS. LONDON, August 8. It is announced that the Air Council has decided to encourage the formation of light aeroplane clubs throughout the country by giving financial assistance for two years to the establishment of 10 such' clubs in leading commercial centres, each club being required to provide at least an equivalent amount.