RECORD FROM CAPETOWN

Taranaki Daily News, 20 December 1932, Page 5

RECORD FROM CAPETOWN

MRS. MOLLISON AT CROYDON OVER THREE DAYS TO SPARE RECORD HELD BOTH WAYS LONG DELAY NEAR ORAN By Telegraph—Preu Assn.—Copyright. London, Dec. 18. Mrs. J. A. Mollison (Amy Johnson), landed at Croydon at 12.5 p.m., breaking the record for the flight from Cape Town to London by more than three days. The former record of 11 days was set by the Duchess of Bedford and Mr. C. D. Barnard. Mrs. Mollison’s time is seven days 7 hours .5 minutes. Mrs. Mollison now ho]ds the record for the flight both ways, having covered the distance from London to Capetown in four days six hours 58 minutes. Mrs. Mollison left Cape Town at 5 a.m. on December 11, .planning to make only four stops on the day to London, at Mossamedes, Duala, Gao and Oran. She had a most enthusiastic send-off. She declared that she had no doubt that she would break the record. Mrs. Mollison arrived at Mossamedes at 3.45 p.m. on December 11, some hours inside her schedule time, and left for Duala at 9 o’clock the same night. She encountered fog during the night and landed at Benguilla. She was delayed for three hours, resuming her flight at dawn. She reached Duala, about 2700 miles from Cape Town, on December 12, and left next day on the third hop of her flight, hoping to reach Gao, 1000 miles north-west of Duala. From Duala she cabled her hubsand stating: “Unlucky again. Cannot arrive as expected on Wednesday.” Mrs. Mollison arrived at Gao on the edge of the Sahara Desert at 5.30 p.m. on December 13, nearly a day ahead of the record. She resumed at 3 o’clock next morning for Oran (Algeria), but bad weather compelled her to land at 4 p.m. at Beni Ounif, 240 miles south of Oran. .

The flyer left Oran for London at 3.12 p.m. on December 16. She had lost nearly two days owing to bad weather, and had cabled: “It is impossible to cross the Atlas Mountains owing to snowstorms. I am fed up and worried.” She reached Paris from Oran,, and went on next day to London.