AVIATION PROGRESS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 December 1929, Page 5

AVIATION PROGRESS

GERMANY LEADS THE WORLD. 3 FLIGHT OF SOUTHERN CROSS. r — New Zealand’s representative in the (> crew of the Southern Cross when it . made its famous two-way flight across 1 the Tasman, and also its thirteen-day r pasage from Australia to London, Mr. f T. H. McWilliam, returned to Wellington by the Marama from Sydney on ; Tuesday. Mr. Me William’s plans for the > future are somewhat indefinite, and he ’ will bo “marking time” until he hears , from Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm as to the position in regard to the proposed Atlantic flight. Mr. McWilliam explained that Kingsford Smith, who was now engaged in establishing the Australian National Airways services, planned an east to west flight of the Atlantic for April next, and with this end in view the Southern Cross-was still at the Fokker works undergoing a thorough overhaul. FROM AUSTRALIA TO ENGLAND. While making it clear that the.flight from Australia to England was a prolonged, continuous strain, Mr. McWilliam stated that at no time were the conditions as bad as those experienced on the Tasman flight. When the actual flying times were compared the flight of the Tasman had imposed a far greater physical strain on the crew of the Southern Cross. On the flight to England they had struck a lot of rain over India, and struck plenty of bumps over the Indian desert, which were due to hot air rising from the desert, but even then conditions were not as bad as those they had experienced when they made their flight from Australia to New Zealand. “EVERYBODY AIRMINDED.” “Everybody is very airminded in Great Britain and Europe, particularly on the Continent,” said Mr. McWilliam. “Air expresses are to be seen arriving and departing from the Croydon aero° drome all hours of the day and nmht. Tim control of air traffic is excellent. Germany, however, is miles ahead of | any other country in the way of aircraft. I travelled from Berlin to Paris by the Luft-Hansa air line, and the machines and t'he luxurious way they are fitted up is marvellous. I have never seen anything like it." Mr. McWilliam was in Entgland for the Schneider Cup race, and although ho had an invitation to see it, he preferred to listen in to the broadcast description. The race was well described, and he believed he got a better impression of it than if he had been at the scene of the race, where the spectators saw little because the machines went so fast that they beat their own sounds. Mr. McWilliam saw the English air- ‘ ship RlOl over London on the occasion '■ of its first flight, it being the last day ' he was there before sailing for Austra- 1 lia. The airship was flying quite low, 1 and he had a wonderful view of it. Dominion. <