"PROVED NOTHING"

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16623, 16 April 1928, Page 8

"PROVED NOTHING"

THE ATLANTIC FLIGHT AN EXPERT'S COMMENT NEARLY A DISASTER. (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.; (Received April 16, 2 p.m.) LONDON, April 15. . The. Daily Telegraph's aviation expert .says that without in tho leqst detracting from the aviators' courage and sound technical preparations, giving full marks to the, engine, it must, be said that the Bremen's flight proved nothing except that the difficulties of the westward flight, have been accurately estimated. She drifted 400 miles out of her course, and was so delayed by head winds that she. narrowly escaped disaster. She was picked up after 37 hours, but ought to have, had petrol for another three hours. Probably towards the. end the aviators, failing to sight land, realised they must increase speed even at the cost- of shortening the duration of the. flight. The distance flown in the straight line was 2'ICO miles, working out at only 55 miles an hour. Calm air cruising speed is 90 miles an hour. The loss of speed was due to opposing winds and wandering off the course. Accurate navigation was impossible without, either astronomical observations or directional wireless.

For an eastward trans-Atlantic flight 20 hours would suffice to reach land somewhere in Europe. A plane for a westward flight must have, a capacity of 40 hours' Hying, but the reason for the series of attempts in single-engined machines without wireless lies in the inherent disability of an aeroplane, which cannot carry the necessary weight of fuel required by a multi-engined machine for such a Jong period, but a two or three-engined machine could be adapted for the purpose, especially a flying boat, which could alight on the ocean if necessary and keep afloat till help came.

FITZMAURICE PROMOTED (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) (Received April 16. 2 p.m.) LONDON, April 15. Commander Fitzmanriee has been promoted to the rank of major in the Free State Air Force in recognition of the trans-Atlantic flight on the Bremen. THE WRONG FLAG CONGRATULATIONS REFUSED (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) (Received April 16. 2 p.m.) BREMEN, April 15. The Senate of Bremen State has refused to congratulate Lieut. Koehe. and Baron von Huhnefeld because they carried the old Imperial instead of the Republican flag.