SAFELY ACROSS.

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13085, 19 October 1935, Page 5

SAFELY ACROSS.

SOLO TASMAN FLIGHT.

O’HARA REACHES AUCKLAND.

Electric Telegraph— tress Association AUCKLAND, Last Night. A solo flight of the Tasman Sea was made to-day by the New Zealander, Walter Martin O’Hara, aged 35, flying in a small Klemm Eagle monoplane. He left Sydney at 7.45 a.m. (New Zealand time) and arrived at Mangere aerodrome at 8.32 to-night He carried no wireless and the first news of him was when he flew over Waiuku, forty miles from .Auckland. Mangere was? promptly advised and flares wfere lit to ensure a safe landing, but the undercarriage of the machine was damaged. The pilot alighted unhurt arid apparently showing little effects of the ordeal of the solo flight.

Describing the flight, O’Hara said he got out of Richmond, Sydney, just in time as the fog was coming down. k T had to stay there until it was light as J had no flares with which to take off. In spite of the load, the machine took off well without any trouble in about 300 yards. I flew south to Gerringong (80 miles) and at 5.10 (Australian time) just as we \Vere nicely in the air, the sun rose over the mountains near Sydney. 1 turned the machine eastward and immediately started climbing on account of there being low clouds to the north. At 10,000 feet conditions became very rough and 1 got into trouble. There were clouds all round and I was flying blind. When we ran into hail the l wings were frozen over thickly and in n«* time were covered by a sheet of ice but in spite of the ice there was no difficulty in controlling the monoplane. I put her nose down and opened the throttle to get into more pleasant flying weather. i came out of the clouds at 5000 feet iiito sunshine and the ice quickly dispersed. The sea was quite calm.

“At 10.45 I had my flash of tea and some sandwiches. Heavy rain at 11.30 forced me to fly southeasterly. The visibility to the south was good all the time, but at this stage it was just a blank wall to the north.

“Noon found us again flying high. We .were at 8000 feet and being steadily p ashed up because of clouds. At 2 p.m. I went under the clouds and saw the ocean for the first time. From then on 1 was able to keep the clouds at heights ranging from 1000 to 4000 feet. I was flying at about 200 feet when 1 sighted a mountain shrouded in clouds which 1 took to be Mount Eginont. I was about 40 miles out and slightly north of the mountain for which 1 had aimed. “When 1 first saw it the time was about 4.30 p.m. I turned the machine gradually northward and on nearing the coast passed over some men in a dinghy apparently fishing. 1 his was about 5 o’clock. I . sighted no ships on the way. “By this time it was rapidly getting dark and I switched on my navigation lights and used the torch I had carried with me to read the instruments. Some of the least pleasant weather of the whole trip was encountered on the flight up the coast where I was flying blind several times. It was raining, at intervals and the clouds were low, keeping my altitude down. 1 knew the country was too hilly to go inland. Away in the distance 1 could see th* haze of Auckland’s lights and then saw a township. I went in over the township, but when 1 got there i found myself flying blind again, and so turned about and went hack to the coast. 1 followed the surf line up to Manakau Heads, and then flew up Manakau Harbour. Vcrey lights from the ground attracted my attention while 1 was some distance away. The lights served to locate the landing field for me, and after circling several times over the flares I came to land. I saw the flares hut unfortunately did not see the fence. Through a wet windscreen with its bewildering reflections I imagined I saw a hill directly ahead and momentarily opened the throttle to carry me over it. The machine landed and I thought I had plenty of room, hut about ten yards ahead I saw the fence. In spite of jamming on the brakes the machine went straight through the fence, carrying away a section. 1 was unhurt, and the damage to th 3 machine is not extensive.

“The flight was sufficiently safe and comfortable to give me no qualms about undertaking the return journey in the same machine. “I had <i. hook and read a lot when it was not too rough. Before leaving Sydney I looked round a hook shop and got a thriller and the biggest print 1 could find. The flight was not tedious as I had plenty to do although I did not have the trouble of pumping by hand, petrol from the cabin tank into the wing tanks. Automatic pumps took care of the fuel supply. I had to feed the engine with oil, however, to keep pace with its normal consumption of a quart per hour. A pipe had been run from the cockpit to the motor and every hour I poured a. quart from tins in the cabin to the motor.” WARNED BY OFFIC lALS. United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copvnedil. SYDNEY, October 18. A warning of the risk he was taking in flying the Tasman with only a- small fuel margin was given to Pilot O'Hara by the Civil Aviation Department. The officials of the Department refused to grant O’Hara permission to leave with an overloaded machine. The airman carries a rubber boat, emergency rations and tools; which ho will use to cut away tin- engine of his ’plane in the event of aj forced descent on the water. According to a special forecast, the weather conditions over the 'Pasman Sea are Satisfactory for flying.