MOTORDOM

Southland Times, Issue 20939, 23 November 1929, Page 16

MOTORDOM

A GREAT FLIGHT Australia to England and Back. THE OWEN-MOIR EXPLOIT. (Exclusive to the Southland Times.)

The reader will find matter of exceptional interest in the account by Flight Officer Owen- and Flight Lieutenant Moir of their recent remarkable flight from Australia to England and back to Australia. The expedition, it will be remembered, almost ended in disaster, the aviators making a forced landing at Cape Don, where they were located by Captain L. J. Brain after a search. The daring airmen’s narrative follows:— We left Richmond Aerodrome (Sydney) at dawn on Monday for Wyndham—Sourabaya and—London. We circled twice around the aerodrome to wave goodbye to friends, and set our course for Broken Hill. By sunrise we were over the Blue Mountains, flying through low clouds in intense cold. The early sun- cut the mountain tops, and they stood out sharply from the valleys. What we could see of the mountains was extremely rugged and presented a very impressive sight. As we passed over the clouds cleared, and the vast expanse of country opened up ahead of us. The great plains of Bathurst, and Orange made us feel that all Australia lay at our feet. It was a perfect day to begin an Empire flight. Over Lake Cargellico a miss in the engine made us decide to get down, and rectify the trouble. During the short time we were there, sight-seers came from far and near to have a look at the machine. In those few hours since leaving Sydney we had passed into an area where the aeroplane was still a novelty—a thing of wonder dropping down from out of the skies. We took this opportunity of giving away a kitten that had crawled into our cabin before leaving Richmond and which felt very much out of place with the noise and intense cold. We pushed on to Broken Hill that afternoon and left at G a.m. for Oodnadatta. After passing over some hopeless and monotonous country in exceptionally unpleasant flying conditions, we picked up the South Australian Railway Line, and landed at Oodnadatta early in the afternoon. The temperature was 103 degrees—at Daly Waters, where we spent the next night, it was 113 degrees. We slept on the hard boards of the verandah of the telegraph station, the temperature being too hot for blankets. On the way to Wyndham next day we had the unique experience of a spark plug blowing right out of the cylinder. It startled us at the time but we were able to carry on, and arrived at Wyndham about 2 p.m. where the matter was rectified. Goodbye to Australia. On Saturday we checked the whole of the engine and machine, but were unable to get away owing to a heavy tropical storm. The following evening we drove out to the aerodrome, which is a huge clay pan about five miles long by two miles wide, and were ready to take off by midnight. In order to find out way getting off in the dark, w'e drove for a distance of about two miles in the car and lit a flare with waste and wood. At--1.30 a.m., when the moon was just rising, we said goodbye to the few people who were there and started up v taxied out and turned the machine towards the flare. Moir, who had the stick, opened the throttle full out and took off direct towards the flare. As the aerodrome was of a soft nature it was very hard to tell when- we were actually off the ground, but we were satisfied we were off when we saw the flare underneath, and, later, the hills over which we passed. Immediately we got to a safe height Mr Davidson directed his flash-light from the car on to our machine, which seemed to serve as a final goodbye. We then immediately set our course for Koepang. Our impressions were weird flying at night as we were not able to see any ground formation, only the flash of light from the exhaust flickering on various parts of the machine. We noticed frequent fires used by the natives in that part of the country. We were informed later that the natives were treacherous, so that had we gone down we might not have had our many pleasant experiences. As the moon began to rise we came to the ocean, as we could see its reflection on the water. The land was fast disappearing from sight. Frequently we passed through formations of cloud after leaving the land, and after having kept on our course for three or four hours we soon sighted Koepang, which was a very pleasant experience, after flying through the dark. About half way across the Timor I changed over with Moir and gave him a spell from the stick. We were very pleased at having sighted the Islands. We soon located our correct position and followed the various chains of Islands on our way to Sourabaya. On the majority of these Islands there does not appear to be very much habitation, but in many places the scenery was exceptionally pretty. Small settlements were usually dotted round any rivers or creeks and studded with palm plantations. It appeared to us that the main, work was the cultivation of paddy fields. As we drew nearer to our landing ground the habitations -seemed to grow thicker, and numerous paddy fields extended to a great distance inland, forming very beautiful scenery. The weather that day was exceptionally fine and at times we could see great depths through the water, and in many cases reefs of rock and bars of sand could be quite plainly distinguished. At this stage of the flight, while flying low on the coast line, quite a number of craft of all descriptions could be seen plying backwards and forwards, probably fishing. We noticed also three huge shoals of fish moving in the water like a cloud shadow. Added to this, flying fish could be seen to leave the water and skim along the surface and then dive in again. At times the cloud formations were down rather low and (he huge mountains of the Dutch East Indies seemed to be enveloped, and at times the tops of the mountains could be seen above the clouds. Landing at Sourabaya. Before landing at Sourabaya we had a good look at the city and surroundings, and noticed the huge oil refineries of the Shell Company. We landed at 3.30 p.m. after having been in the air since 1.30 a»m. that morning, when we left Wyndham. * Here we were met by the Shell Representatives and the Dutch Naval and Military Officers, who gave us every assistance possible. From

Sourabaya to Batavia the land was mainly under rice cultivation, huge areas of paddy fields being visible from the air. During the day we sighted several ships trading between Singapore and Australia. Off to Singapore. Arriving at Batavia at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, we were able to leave at 5.30 a.m. the next morning for Singapore. We were escorted for some distance by a Dutch military machine, and then followed the coast line. Leaving Java we continued along the coast of Sumatra, which is, in my opinion, one of the most treacherous coast lines on the whole trip, there being very little habitation, and in- the event of a forced landing there is no place whatever for making a landing, excepting in the mangrove swamps or in the water. The only hope would be to land alongside one of the few gypsy fishing huts. These huts are built on a series of piles extending about 400 yards out into the shallow water. These so-called gypsy people appear to exist solely on what they derive from fishing It was here that we encountered some thick tropical rain storms, and had to fly as low as 150 feet to keep the coastline in view. We passed over the Island of Banka where Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith landed, also where Captain Lancaster and Mrs Miller came to grief, and from here followed the numerous chains of Islands to Singapore. It was here that hundreds of natives in their excitement rushed on to the landing ground as we approached, and Moir had to do some quick work with the machine and bring it down in another direction. Just as we got down and as the machine was pulling up we tore our way through two huge bunkers, but, as luck happened, very little damage was done. Had we landed in the original position, we would certainly have killed a number of natives. Owing to the performance of our machine under a heavy load, we realised that we would never be able to take off with it fully laden, so we made arrangements for landing at Seletar, a few miles out of Singapore on the Straits of Jahore. Here we found in the course of construction one of the finest aerodromes in the world. Many hundreds of natives are working all day long clearing mangroves and excavating and filling in. Huge hangars are also under construction for the - Southampton Flying Boats. Damage to Under-carriage. Taking off at 8 a.m. next morning our under-carriage collided with a mound of earth and rock, but we were lucky to get away with very little damage. We climbed to a safe height and set our course for Victoria Point, and discovered, on investigation, we had seriously damaged a fitting of the under-carriage. After a talk with Moir as to whether it would be wise to carry on or land, we decided to carry on and land with a very slight load at Victoria Point. The country was exceptionally pretty and appeared to consist, for the most part, of rubber plantations. Penang on the coast looked to be a well laid out city, prettily situated at the foot of some very high mountains. The harbour was busy with all kinds of craft, small and large. We had some difficulty finding the aerodrome at Victoria Point, due to a tropical storm, but we lander! safely in spite of the damaged under-carriage and rather rough nature of the aerodrome itself. After a thorough inspection of the damaged fitting, we came to the conclusion that we would have to use the utmost care in future when landing, to avoid further damage. We were informed here by local residents that the country around Victoria Point was full of wild animals, and suffered a little surprise when informed that a tiger had been seen to cross the road where tho machine was resting, only three days before. Naturally, the whole neighbourhood turned out to see us, and the various types of natives and their dress provided quite a spectacle. We were interested to know that the wealth of the native women was judged by the number of nose-rings, ear-rings, bracelets, bangles, etc. The richer class had nose-rings and car-rings of gold, the poorer class of lead. The Burmese women are a fine specimen of native, well featured and clean living. Owing to the smallness of the aerodrome and its poor surface, Moir and I were particularly worried as to how we were to get the machine out safely with the big load and the weak under-carriage. The natives, however, gallantly came to our assistance. We started up the engine and instructed the natives at a given signal to push from behind immediately we opened up the throttle. It was only this that enabled us to get up. our speed sufficiently to take off in the area. We circled the aerodrome, waved goodbye and left for Rangoon. Rangoon to Calcutta. Again we encountered tropical storms, but in the intermittent sunshine could pick out places of worship in the big towns by ' their domes of glittering gold. Approaching ‘Rangoon the mountains and rocky coast line merged into low-lying, flat country, mostly under rice cultivation. The whole area seemed to be divided up into small squares by the irrigation channels, and being well saturated with water, would have been particularly unsuitable for a forced landing. We were soon able to pick out the huge, inclining, gold-tinted Buddha of Rangoon, which is one of the chief points of interest in that city. We landed on the racecourse, and, judging from the number of horses exercising there and elsewhere in the city, we could quite believe that horse racing is the chief sport. Next day we flew over Akyab and Chittagong at the head of the Bay of Bengal and many small islands and swampy country at the mouth of the Ganges River, and landed at Calcutta in the afternoon. All the surrounding country supported dense tropical vegetation, and every available part of cleared land was under rice cultivation.

Flying over this part of the country, we were impressed for the first time by the huge population of India and its infinite number of small, closely-packed villages. They formed a pretty sight from the air, all surrounded by thick tropical growth and tall palms. At Calcutta we landed in a large recreation park. The native population showed a very great interest in the machine and literally hundreds came out

to view it—so many in fact, that the police authorities had to send out three dozen police to guard the machine and keep the crowd back. We were taken around Calcutta by Mr Leete of the Bengal Aero Club, who, with Mr Stack, flew two De Haviland machines from England to India. Mr Stack returned to England, while Mr Leete is carrying on the work of the Bengal Aero Club in teaching people to fly. We also had pleasure in meeting one of the pilots of the Bengal Air Survey Company, which company are carrying out valuable work with a De Haviland nine. Across India. We were delayed getting away from Calcutta until three o’clock next morning by a thick fog, but were able to keep our direction for Agra (800 miles) by means of the railway across India. Already we had begun to feel the intense heat, and the only way of flying in comfort was to climb to a height of 6,000 or 8,000 feet. Even here, flying conditions were very bumpy, but the visibility was good in spite of the haze that seemed to rise up from the ground.

We were very impressed by.the number of old fortifications around practically every town of any size, and by the large stone walls that surrounded a few of them. It made one realise afresh the precarious existence that these Indian towns maintained in the past. Before landing at Agra we had a very good view of the Taj Mahal, which is, perhaps, more picturesque from the air than from any other angle. We were entertained at Agra by British and Indian Army Officers, and decorated in the Indian custom with garlands of flowers and bouquets sprayed with perfumed water. After the party finished we transferred our decorations to the machine where we considered they looked more fitting than on begrimed aviators. We worked on the machine until 2.30 in the morning, and then went on a shooting expedition, which' took us into the grounds, of tho famous Taj Mahal. With the aid of a car spotlight, we were given a glimpse of the variety of wild life in India—cats, jackals and porcupines in abundance. Leaving Agra at 5.30 a.m. we approached and flew over the Sind Desert, a practically barren and desolate waste with very limited patches of vegetation. As far as we could see there was no habitation whatever. The excessive heat made flying conditions extremely trying, and we were glad to land on the RA.J 1 . aerodrome at Karachi at 2.30 p.m. The nine hours trip had been 'almost entirely over desert country. Karachi possesses a very fine harbour at the mouth of the Indus River, and,' being at (he junction of the railways routes from Calcutta and most of the large Indian centres, has both strategic and commercial importance. The fact it has been chosen

SOUTHLAND MOTOR CYCLE CLUB. LOCAL FIXTURES. To-day: Grass Track Motor Cycle Races on Rugby Park (Oreti Beach Carnival). Nov. 27: Grass Track Motor Cycle Races on Gore Racecourse. Nov. 29: Grass Track Motor Cycle Races on Rugby Park (Amateur Athletic Society). Dec. 1: Club Run to Lumsden. Dec. 14: Beach Races, Oreti Beach. Note: The Club run which was to have been held on 24th instant has been postponed until December 1. A number of our local crack riders intend competing in the beach races at Waikouaiti to-day. Keen interest is displayed in this event and we are living in hopes of seeing some of the trophies brought back to Invercargill. Our worthy secretary has had a busy time lately attending to the registration of members’ colours. This new innovation has met with the approval of riders, as it enables them to wear the same colour scheme for all events and precludes other members from using the same.colour. Owing to the state of the weather last Wednesday, the grass track races on Gore Racecourse had to be postponed for a week. However, a fine day has been ordered for next Wednesday and spectators who go to see these motor cyclists in action are sure of getting, their money’s worth of thrills.

Car registration in eighteen leading cities of the United States of eight-cylinder cars priced above 1000 dollars in the first four months of 1929 showed an increase of 82 per cent, for the same period of the previous year, while the registration of sixes priced above 1000 dollars in the same period declined eight per cent, as compared with the same months in 1928.

as the terminal airport of the Imperial Airways will doubtless augment its importance in the very near future. At present, the huge airship hangar, mooring mast and hotel are nearing completion in preparation for the forthcoming airship services to Australia. The hotel is situated at the foot of the mooring mast and will be accessible to passengers in the airship by means of an express elevator operating between the hotel and the top of the tower. The R.A.F. have huge aircraft depots and workshops run by several hundred officers and men, and the town itself is controlled by the British Army of Occupation. Into Persia. We rested a day and left at 6 a.m. the next morning for Bushire. Within three and a-half hours we had crossed the border between India and Persia, and were flying in unpleasant conditions through clouds of sand at the lower levels and light powdery dust even as high as 8,000 feet. Sand storms were so thick it was impossible at times to see the formation of the coast line even at 7,000 feet. So unpleasant did it become that we decided to land at Bunda Abbas and carry on the following morning, but perhaps if we could have foreseen the’ difficulties that were to arise through this course of action we would have earned on. As it was, however, we could see through the dust the Union Jack flying at the residence of the British Consul, and naturally concluded all would be well to ■effect a landing at the aerodrome. Trouble With Persian Customs. We were greeted, however, not only by the British Consul but the Persian Customs, and later by the C.O. of the Persian Regiment. After having lunch and some very enjoyable cool drinks with the Consul, we were approached by the Customs people, and then began a lengthy argument. We paid the usual landing and custom fees, but were given a “non-permit to leave,” the meaning of which Moir and I have not been able to find out to this day. We were given to understand, however, that we could leave the next morning. Here, however, we got a surprise. When we went out to the machine we found it under an armed guard of Persian soldiers, and were informed that they had instructions to open

fire on us if we attempted to take off. Matters were rather .serious, and we were at a loss to understand the reason for the holdup. After making enquiries through the Consul and an interpreter,. we were informed that we could not leave because we had not obtained a permit to land, and would be detained pending that permit. The person responsible for this delay, we were afterwards to find, was the Commanding Officer of the Persian troops stationed at Bunda Abbas. We tried to explain the circumstances that had forced us to land, but the Officer steadfastly refused to see our point of view, and maintained in all seriousness that, if Lindbergh could fly the Atlantic without stopping, he could see no reason why we could not fly from Karachi to Bushire in spite of adverse flying conditions. Later in the day we got some idea of that Officer’s intelligence when Moir explained to him that Hurley’s movie camera was a spare part of the engine. As he placed the camera back in the bag, apparently satisfied, Moir and I exchanged glances congratulating ourselves on the victory, but unfortunately the plate camera did not pass as a navigation instrument, and he promptly sent for some string and sealing wax and carefully sealed it up. As a result of this, Hurley was not able to photograph any portions of the Persian Gulf. The delay is more humorous in retrospect. It was very annoying having to stop day after day, until, after spending four and a-half days, permission was granted to leave. In five minutes we were off the ground lest they should change their minds. (To be concluded.)

MORE SIXES THAN FOURS. For the first time in the industry’s history, it is estimated in. America that this year the output of six-cylinder cars will exceed that of four-cylinder machines. There is every indication in that country that henceforth this state of affairs will continue. Approximately calculations go to show that during 1929, in America some three million sixes, as against two and a quarter million fours, will be produced, last year’s output figures being 2,098,000 fours as compared with 1,617,000 sixes. The Chevrolet concern, by entering the sixcylinder field—during the present year it will build some 1,350,000 units in all—has at last had the culminating effect in bringing about this reversal. WITHOUT SPRINGS. CAR MOUNTED ON RUBBER. Experiments are being carried out in Britain with a car mounted on rubber blocks instead of springs. Commenting on the machine, a writer in the “Autocar” says that one of the most difficult problems confronting the designer is the suspension. The matter is so contradictory, for, if the springs really absorb all the shocks transmitted to the road wheels, leaving the passengers in the car steady and unaffected, the car usually heels over hard while taking a corner, or refuses to stay on the road at all when driven fast—inconveniences which more than counterbalance the excellence of the springs—apart from a number of other little troubles which harass the existence of designers anxious to make their cars genuinely comfortable. The possibility of replacing the ordinary springing with a-form of elastic suspen-

sion by the use of rubber blocks is now the subject of experiment. Each wheel ie mounted on a large crank lever attached by a rod to what looks like a cylinder composed of rubber discs, the movement of the wheel and crank lever being taken up by the rubber. Each wheel is therefore sprung independently, the stub axles being maintained at their correct castor angle, and parallel, by a steel blade at the top and a long-radius rod at the bottom, holding a big axis pm.

There is another interesting feature. The wheel with the sub axle can move up and down against the rubber as violently as it pleases, but the action consists of the stub axle sliding up and down on what amounts to splines, leaving the steering arm stationary, so that the movement cannot be transmitted to the steering wheel. The chassis is stiffened by a big tubular “back-bone,” the rubber blocks of the suspension are -grouped in the centre of the frame, and the frame itself can be carried

very low, in accordance with modem ideas. The whole scheme depends upon the ® durability of the rubber block, but from an inspection of the design it looks as though the new car will be really stable, and certainly it is much more comfortable than a chassis with ordinary leaf > springs. Colonel, the Master of SemphiU, tha eminent aviator, is a confirmed dirt track fan, and has tried his hand at bmadsidir®.