FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA

Taranaki Daily News, 8 December 1927, Page 9

FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA

SMITH'S EARLY’ ATTEMPT POSSIBILITY OF SOME DELAY ENDURANCE FLIGHT FIRST By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright. Received Dec. 7, 10.10 p.m. San Francisco, Dec. 6. A delay of some days is likely before Captain Kingsford Smith makes another attempt at the endurance record flight. The tail flutter which terminated the two previous efforts is being thoroughly investigated. Smith and Pond attribute it to air conditions, but some engineers think the wayshifts are directly attributable to the load, which is nearly 16,0001 b. The elevators and rudder are now being removed from the ’plane, and will be structurally revised. It is not certain whether this will delay the prospects of the flight to Australia. Some of Smith’s advisers strongly counsel him to await better transocean weather before beginning the journey to Australia unless he e.'fti get away with the December full moon, or, at most, within a day or so thereafter. This means before Friday or Saturday at the latest. It is understood that since Smith’s arrangement with Jus backers called for an endurance flight before the trans-ocean take off, he may not be able to make the longer journey until the moon has waned considerably, thus adding to the period of total darkness through whieh he must fly.