FLYING MADEMOISELLE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19199, 16 December 1936, Page 19

FLYING MADEMOISELLE

SOUTH ATLANTIC PLAN HOP TO DAKAI? (Reed. Dec. 15, 2 p.m.) MARSEILLES, Dec. 14. Tho young French airwoman, Mdlle. Maryse Bastie, who departed from Paris on Saturday with the intention ol crossing the South Atlantic in the. effort to beat Miss Jean Batten’s record, left today for Dakar. She is flying solo in a Camlron Simoun plane. .Toan Batten’s solo record for the South Atlantic crossing is 13 hours 15 minutes, established 1 in November, 1935, in the Percival Vega Gull in which she flew from England to New Zealand. She left Tliics, near Dakar, and landed at Port Natal, Brazil. The previous record of 16 hours 30 minutes was set. by .1.1. Pombo, a Spaniard. J. A. Mollison and the late Bert Hinkler at different times held the solo record. The Oaudron Simoun, a French aeroplane, is a four-seater cabin low-wing monoplane, very similar in appearance to the Percival and Miles Hawk machines made in England, ft has a Renault Bengali Six 170-195 Ji.p. engine and is credited with a top speed ot 183 miles an hour and a cruising speed of 167 miles an hour. The Vega Gull, with a D.II. Gipsy Six engine of 200 h.p., has a maximum speed of 170 miles an hour and a cruising speed of 150 miles an hour. Joan Batten holds the. record from England to South America ol 2 days lo hours.