AVIATION

Otago Witness, Issue 3869, 8 May 1928, Page 30

AVIATION

BREMEN FLYERS IN NEW YORK. A VOCIFEROUS WELCOME. NEW YORK, April 30. Baron Heuncfeld, Captain Koehl, and Major Fitzmaurice received the city’s oflicial reception, in which Captain Koehl s wife and Major Fitzmauriee’s wife and small daughter, Patricia, all of whom arrived in the morning aboard the liner Dresden, took part. Although the flyers have been here unofficially for two days, they were taken by boat to the battery and duly welcorned at the pier, after which they proceded to the City Hall, bands playing German and Irish melodies. The crowds made a terrific noise, swamping the parade with ticker tape and torn paper. The city had 10,000 police on duty, but they often experienced difficulty in restraining the enthusiasm of the crowd from preventing the passage of the flyers, who heard the address from the Mayor, to which all replied in English. Afterwards the parade proceeded along Fifth avenue to the Civil Memorial, then to Central Park, with huge crowds according them a vociferous welcome along the whole route. FOLLOWED BY HUGE CROWDS. NEW YORK, Mayl. Captain Koehl made four short flights in the Bremen’s sister ship Fl 3, after which he, Major Fitzmaurice, and Baron Heunefeld visited the New York World’s building, and then placed a wreath on the Washington statue in Wall street. They also visited the British Consul. The flyers will be given a civic banquet to-night at the Hotel Commodore. Huge Crowds follow them everywhere. RECEIVED AT WHITE HOUSE. WASHINGTON, May 2. President Coolidge received the Bremen flyers at White House, and presented them with Distinguished Flying Crosses, this being the first occasion these crosses have been given to foreigners. The flyers arrived by train, and w’ere received by the German Ambassador, the Irish Minister, Mr Kellogg, and others, including Colonel Lindbergh. Following the President’s reception, they proceeded to Aldington, and placed a wreath on the grave of the unknown soldier. INTENTION OF THE FLYERS. WASHINGTON, May 2. Major Fitzmaurice informed . newspaper men to-day that the Bremen’s crew planed to fly the machine to Germany. ENGLAND TO CAPETOWN. CAPETOWN, May 1. Lady Bailey, who is the first woman to fly from England to Capetown, reached Wynberg aerodrome this afternoon, 51 days after leaving London. ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE. MELBOURNE, May 1. Thirty-four Moth aeroplanes have been ordered for the Royal Australian Air Force, 20 from the De Haviland Com* pany, Ltd., in Britain, the remainder to be built in the Commonwealth, with the exception of the engines. The approximate cost of each imported machine is £750. BERLIN TO LONDONLONDON, May 1. Captain MTntosh made a new record in the Berlin to London non-stop flight, covering the distance in 270 minutes in the “ Princess Zenia,” in which he and Mr Hinkler had exciting adventures in their unsuccessful non-stop flight to India. COLONEL LINDBERGH. PLANS FOR WORLD FLIGHT. NEW YORK, May 1. A message from Detroit announces,that the Washington correspondent of the Detroit News declared that Colonel Lindbergh’s world flight is positively confirmed. It is asserted that the ocean crossing will not be a non-stop run, but Colonel Lindbergh, accompanied by Major Thomas Lanphier, of the United States Air Service, will fly a tri-motored Fokker along the far northern route, making a series of stops at Labrador, Greenland, and Iceland. They will visit every important capital in Europe, after which they will proceed to Japan, but it is not expected that they will fly home across the Pacific.

A message received on March 31 stated: —Colonel Lindbergh has advised his army friends that he intends to fly the Atlantic again in the summer. He plans to visit most of the European countries, after which he hopes to continue across Russia, China, and Japan, returning over the Pacific. The flight is expected to start from New York, with the first stop somewhere in Germany. A message from St. Louis states that, questioned regarding the foregoing statements, Colonel Lindbergh said he would not divulge his plans until they were perfected.

DAILY’ EXPRESS COMMENT. LONDON, May 2. The news from America that Colonel Lindbergh will engage in another Atlantic flight via Greenland and Ice-

land prompts the Daily Express editorially to tell him that he is making a great mistake. lie is planning an anticlimax as elaborate and at the same time as unnecessary and inartistic as any recorded in history. There are two essentials to a perfect achievement in any and every walk in life. One is the art of elimination, and the other is the art of avoiding repetition. Imagine Horatius defending the bridge not once in a lifetime, but two or three times a month, dhese things once done are done for ever as far as the original author is concerned. Colonel Lindbergh’s heroic flight belongs to an honoured category.

PAINSTAKING PREPARATIONS. WASHINGTON, May 3. Painstaking preparations are being made for Colonel Lindbergh’s projected flight in at least half a dozen different quarters. The Danish Government, the United States Weather Bureau, and other Government agencies, individual army airmen, and many private organisations possessing reliable information regarding meteorological and other flying conditions in Greenland and Iceland are co-operat-ing to make the venture a success. The results of the meteorological studies made by the University of Michigan expedition to Greenland in 1927-28 are also being examined.

DEATH OF M. SCHNEIDER. PARIS, May 1. The death is announced of M. Jacques Schneider, the donor of the seaplane cup.

CAPTAIN KINGSFORD SMITH. NEW YORK, May 2. A message from Santa Monica (California) states that Captain Kingsford Smith hopped off this afternoon in the Southern Cross for San Francisco on the first leg of his projected flight to Australia. ARRIVAL AT SAN FRANCISCO. SAN FRANCISCO, May 3. Captain Kingsford Smith, in his ’plane, the Southern Cross, has arrived here from Santa Monica. He is said to be on his way to Australia, hoping to do the journey within 33 days. LONDON TO INDIA. REGULAR WEEKLY SERVICE. LONDON, May 2. The Air Minister (Sir Samuel Hoare), in opening the new Croydon aerodrome, announced that he had initialled the heads of an agreement between the Government and Imperial Airways, Ltd., for a regular weekly service to London and India. ROUTE TO BE FOLLOWED. LONDON, May 2. It is most probable that the LondonIndia air route will be Marseilles, Cairo, and Bagdad. The existing triple-screw liners’ trip from London to Paris will be extended to Marseilles. All-metal flying boats, seating 15 passengers, will traverse the Mediterranean to Cairo, where they will link up the present service to Bagdad and the Persian Gulf, the latter extending to Delhi. It is hoped to inaugurate the service in April. 1929. CAPTAIN WILKINS’S PLANS. NEW YORK, May 2. The Svalbard correspondent of the New York Times interviewed Captain Wilkins, who hopes to reach New York on May 7. He is making plans to fly from Ross Sea to Graham’s Land, and is not rivalling Commander Byrd’s efforts to reach the South Pole, but they may have bases near each other. Captain Wilkins will fly from the west, and will follow the coast of Graham’s Land, while Commander Byrd will fly inland and south. Captain Wilkins added that Antarctic flying presents difficulties and problems widely different from those of the Arctic, but the two summers he has spent in the neighbourhood of Graham’s Land have given him some idea of the requirements. He expressed confidence in Commnader Byrd’s success in his Antarctic venture, and said that delay might give Colonel Nobile serious trouble, since Arctic explorations are extremely difficult in summer, although it is possible to operate aircraft above the Arctic fogs. He expressed confidence in Colonel Nobile’s ability and knowledge. OSLO, May 3. Captain M ilkins is spending his time while waiting for a ship in writing a book, entitled “My Polar Flights.” He states that he does not think it impossible to live in the Arctic regions near the pole. He is strongly of opinion that future air routes will closely follow his, because of the excellent landing bases in Alaska. ROCKET AIR MACHINE. LONDON, May 2. The Berlin correspondent of the Times says that a serious attempt to shoot into the air an aeroplane with a human being board will shortly be made at Berlin. A contract has been completed for the application of the Opel rocket system to aircraft. The occupant of the aeroplane will be Herr Raab, a pilot of long experience. The aeroplane is the Raabkatzenstein G ..'Smalcke Company’s light plane, which weighs scwt. Two batteries of rockets will replace the engine, one on either side of the fuselage. Between the plane’s

cross bracing the structure is specially strengthened to resist recoil and withstand the highspeed expected. The pilot’s part will be to bring the aeroplane to earth by a gliding flight after the rockets have burned out. If the experiments are successful an attempt will be made to increase progressively the heights attained, by the use of more powerful rockets. The pilots will be provided with oxygen apparatus and a parachute. The Opel Company believes it is technically possible to propel an aeroplane by the rocket method to immense heights well beyond the earth’s atmosphere. It is clear that a single successful rocket flight will open up an entirely new field in aeronautical research and might affect in important ways the whole future of aviation. A rocke car, which carried out a most successful test recently, will shortly be tried out near Berlin in the world’s speed contest. INTENTION TO VISIT BERLIN. BERLIN, May 5. Captain Wilkins and Mr Eielson have sent a message from King’s Bay accepting a ninvitation to visit Berlin. COLONEL NOBILE’S FLIGHT. BERLIN, May 3. Colonel Nobile and the Italia left Stolp at 3.25 this morning for Spitzbergen, en route for the North Pole. SIGHTED OVER FINLAND. STOCKHOLM, May 4. Colonel Nobile was sighter over Brahestad. Finland, battling against heavy, contrary winds. He seemed to be out of his course, and asked for his bearings. ARRIVAL AT VADSO. VADSO, May 4. A salvo of guns from the former Norwegian frontier fortress greeted the Italia’s safe arrival. Troops made the airship fast to the mooring tower. The inhabitants of the neighbouring villages rushed in boats to witness the arrival. The mayor entertained the crew at breakfast. Colonel Nobile said the crew were tired, having been 28 hours in the air, but they were looking forward to the great adventure. He said he expected to continue towards Spitzbergen at G o’clock to-night It is understood that he intends to proceed by way of Nordkyn (the most northerly pont in Europe). BLIZZARD AT SPITZBERGEN. LONDON, May 4. Vadso reports that a violent blizzard drove over Spitzbergen, damaging the hangar. Colonel Nobile had heen wirelessly advised to postpone his departure from Vadso until to-morrow to allow repairs to be made. The canvas walls have been torn to ribbons, and a road that had been constructed with considerable effort from the beach to the hangars has been destroyed. The crew of the supply ship were working all night to effect repairs. There is natural disappointment among the airship crew, who are anxious for the great adventure. Meanwhile the weather towards the north has taken a dismal change for the worse, storms sweeping from west to east. The immediate continuation of the .flight would lead to danger of the airship becoming ice-coated. ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. BERLIN, May 3. Another German transatlantic attempt has been arranged for next week. The ’plane is similar to the Bremen. It will be piloted by Johann Risticz, who is employed by Junkers. Mlle. Lilli Dillenz, a Viennese actress, who accompanied Stark and Loose in October of last year on a flight to the Azores, will be a passenger. The first stop will be at Baldonnel, to await favourable weather. PLYMOUTH TO NEW YORK. LONDON, May 4. Captain Courtney has decided to make a westward transatlantic attempt to New York this month from Plymouth. His machine will be an all-metal flying boat of German design with twin British Dormier-Napier engines totalling 1000 h.p. The machine was constructed in Italy, where it is at present being tested. LADY HEATH’S FLIGHT. LONDON, May 5. Lady Heath has arrived at Tunis from Tripoli. Her aeroplane was slightly damaged while landing.—uAsslightly damaged while AERIAL HONEYMOON. LONDON, May 5. Lieutenant Bentley and Mrs Bentley, who are on an aerial honeymoon to England, have arrived from Capetown. AERIAL DERBY. VANCOUVER, May 5. An aerial Derby for Canadian airmen only is being planned from Windsor (Ontario) to San Francisco in September. The prizes will total 10,000dol. JAPANESE ’PLANE CRASHES. TOKIO, May 5. The first Japanese built passenger aeroplane crashed on its trial trip, killing eight people.

TRAGEDY IN CANADA. VANCOUVER, May 5. A message from Brantford (Ontario) states that John Rosencrans and James Batey, of Buffalo, United States, were instantly killed when a biplane plunged into Lake Erie. A ten ific explosion reduced the ’plane to matchwood. NAVAL AIR ACCIDENTS.

WASHINGTON, May 5. . Mr Wilbur has appointed a special investigating board in an effort to reduce naval air accidents, 182 of which have occurred during the past nine months, ,at a cost of 27 lives.