THE MAGIC CARPET

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1934, Page 15

THE MAGIC CARPET

TO ENGLAND BY . AIR. . Part 11. By Flight-Lieutenant F. W. Haig, Officer of the Vacuum . Oil Company Pty. Ltd. on a World tour. One of the disadvantages of flying long distances —probably the only disadvantage—is the necessity of making an early start, consequently one has to be up at round 4.30 each morning. After being called at 4 we had breakfast at the hotel and proceeded by car to the fine central Railway Station and boarded the rail motor for Donmuang Aerodrome, some 20 miles away. The lights were switched on in the Fokkers and shortly afterwards the Singapore machine departed, looking like a miniature “Mariposa” with its navigation, cabin and tail lights. The land round Bangkok is, I understand, below the level of the sea, and is drained by a scries of canals called “klanga.” These canals are now used by the poorer classes as waterways, and formerly all transport was carried out on them. Consequently, many of the houses face the canals, and now that roads have been built, the backs of the houses face the road, giving it a peculiar appearance. The roads extend only about five miles outside the town, beyond which cars are unable to travel, as the tracks are impassable to anything but the water buffalo. At 6.30 we took off for Rangoon. One of the passengers described Siam as a land of rice eaters, flying lizards and crab-eating monkeys. My impression was a land of extreme contrasts, fine new buildings and modem railway plant, with ancient ox-carts bringing goods to the station; low swampy land worked by huge water buffalo that appeared a cross between a rhinoceros and an elephant; very poor lower classes, and gay, happy people. Driving into Bangkok at night, I saw dozens of kites of all shapes being flown by the naked kiddies, and would say that the Siamese become air-minded early in life, which probably accounts for their being such excellent pilots. The flying lizards are built on the lines of those obnoxious flying foxes that are such a worry to Queensland fruitgrowers—an aeroplane wing of skin stretches from fore to hind legs, and the lizards glide from palm tree to palm tree. One of the chaps at the hotel told me he had seen one do 3 Burmah is intensively cultivated, with numerous white temples dotted round the towns. OVER SIAM’S MOUNTAINS. After an hour’s flying, we approached the Siamese mountains that act as a huge fence between western Siam and. Eastern Burmah, and which must look most hostile to aviators flying singleengined machines. The Eastern face of these thickly timbered ranges is gashed by wicked looking gorges, which in the wet season must be raging torrents though dry watercourses now. Ugly looking rocks top the ravines and through my field glasses the jungle appears almost impenetrable. . Breakfast was served as we skimmed over the tops of the mountains at 7000 feet, and' for the three-quarters of an hour that we were over them not a sign of habitation or track of any description was to be seen. At 8.30 we had left the mountains behind, and were flying up the Burman coast, and the wireless operator told us that as Rangoon ha wirelessed that there were low lying heavy clouds over Rangoon, we would probably lad at Moulmein, which has a good aerodrome, and is some 80 inites east but slight# south of Rangoon. The course was altered to Moulmein, but an hour later Rangoon wirelessed that trie clouds were breaking, and our commander altered our course to Rangoon.. What a wonderful help wireless is to aviators! All the time we were in the air our wireless was in constant touch witn ground stations, and should the commander of the plane desire to know his position, this could have been given to him in a few minutes. The navigating is done by the second pilot, and as 1 was sitting just behind the navigating table, in the drawer of which all the charts of the route were kept, I was able to see with what remarkable accuracy our course was kept. After flying over the Gulf of Martaban, we approached Rangoon over the large Eastern mouth of the Irrawaddy, where numerous native boats were fishing. Strange how the types of fishing boats vary in the various countries—from the long rakish looking craft with the long triangular sail used in Java, the heavy looking craft with dark coloured sail used in Malay, the low looking boats with the short triangular light coloured sail of Siam, to the long craft with square sail of Burmahl RANGOON’S GREAT PAGODA. The river at Rangoon appears to be full of silt, there being large silt beds along -the shore. I heard that this is giving the harbour authorities considerable anxiety, and a scale model of the Rangoon harbour and the river bed is being made at a big cost, so that engineers can study the course of the tides and flow of the river, x to arrive at a means to counteract the silting up of the harbour. As we approached Rangoon, the second pilot pointed out the famous shwedagon pagoda, or, as it is commonly called, the golden pagoda. It can be plainly seen with my glasses, and stands like a great golden wedding cake, looking strikingly impressive amid the dark green of the surrounding trees. It stands on a rise some 400 ft. high and must be visible for miles glistening m the sunlight. It is covered with puie gold, which, I understand, is renewed by the Burmese once in every generation. This Pagoda Is the centre, of antiquarian interest in' Burmah, and it JS said that Buddha sent several hairs from his own head to be laid under the fmmdation stone of this remarkable edifice I was told that the used to adorn it are worth over £4o ’ ooo - Rangoon looks very fine from the air, with its symmetrical streets, which give the city an appearance of being well laid out. The buildings look very prim surrounded by the dark g reen r J rees .^ d the colouring of gardens. The Agricultural Society’s garden, . with its splashes of colour in the various flower beds, could be clearly seen. The narrow river, winding gracefully round the town appears like a well made road. We landed at 9.30 at the Mingaldon drome, having taken some three hours to cover the 350 miles from Bangkok. A meal was ready at the aerodrome cafe; as I had already par-

taken of early breakfast at 4.30 at Bangkok, and had had breakfast again at 8 on the plane, I do not know what to call the meal which we had at Rangoon. Sufficient that we all did justice to it, while the Customs officer was examining our passports, and I was chatting about aviation in Australia to the reporters, who met me at each stopping place. At 10.30 we left Rangoon and flew a North West course over the Irrawaddy towards Akyab. The many outlets of this large smoothly flowing river appear like a giant spider’s web spread over the land. INSIDE THE AIR LINER. The K.L.M. organisation deserves great credit for the arrangements made for the comfort of the passengers and the interest of the trip. I mentioned previously the comfort of the lounge chairs and I should have commented on the attractive interior decoration of the plane. Each window has a roller blind that can be drawn down when one desires a nap or the sun is too strong, and the indirect lighting from the roof of the cabin gives a good but natural and restful light when required. The woodwork is in light and dark dak, with attractive etchings of various forms of transport on one side with the route from Amsterdam to Batavia on the opposite side. The windows are kept closed, which considerably reduces the noise of the engines, but the cabin is well ventilated and comfortably warmed on cold mornings. Anything more pleasing than the cabin interior could not be imagined. Reading matter is supplied and a route map clearly showing the towns passed over with the names of bays, rivers and mountains marked, and the heights of the mountains shown. This adds considerably to the interest of the trip. After an hour’s flight from Rangoon, we approached that part of the route that is greatly respected by aviators, particularly those flying single-engined planes—the Arakan Yoma mountains, which extend in ugly looking lines from the east coast of the Bay of Bengal, extending some 500 miles from Assam to Rangoon, and extend about 150 miles inland. They are some 7000 feet high, and, like the mountains on the west side of Siam, are thickly coated with jungle as far as the eye can see from the air, without tracks of any sort. From the air, looking with field glasses from the three-engined Fokker, they can be examined without trepidation, and the colouring of the foilage is quite attrac; tive, showing all shades of browns and greens with dashes of yellow and reds to give brightness to their appearance. We flew low over them as it was a beautiful day, but I could not see any signs of life, though would have liked to see some wild animals. I was rather pleased to leave the mountains behind after an hour’s flying, and at midday we were flying up the coast of the Bay of Bengal towards Akyab. The coast here is very attractive and interesting, there being various sizes of islands dotted in the small; bays with beaches nestling close to the thick dark green timber showing marked contrast to the light green of the calm sea. Approaching Akyab, the coast line for fifty miles or so takes on a peculiar shape—long spits from five to ten miles long and one to one foot across jut out diagonally into the Bay, looking like huge tongues of medieval giants with a background, giving the appearance of his head. Akyab is situated on the north bank of ! the Kabadan River, which in some places is six miles wide, appears quite a busy place,.there being six large vessels of some *5,000 tons and some fifty smaller boats close to the pier. The aerodrome is a large L shape' and adjoins the town. As we are making good time, and. having no passengers to be picked up or set down, we flew over the aerodrome and continued towards Calcutta—another 350 miles further on. At 2 o’clock we were out of sight of land, and this gave me the oppotunity for an hour’s sleep. When setting out on the flight from Singapore to England, I felt that the 8 hours in the air daily at from three to four hours at a time as a passenger would make me very tired and bored, but such is certainly not the case; as a matter of fact, it was just the reverse. We fly so fast and the scenery changes so quickly, there is so much of interest to see, that I find the time passes remarkably fast. It is of absorbing interest to me to make the flight over this route that I have got to know so well in theory. Seeing the towns and mountains that I have discussed with “Smithy” and other aviators that have been only romantic names to me is a great pleasure, and I have often thought how I would like to see them. Well, my ambition is being gratified and in the most pleasant way —in a fine aeroplane, with the maxium of comfort, and in the good company of a friendly crew, who appear to enjoy making the trip of interest. What more could one want to make the trip a happy one- Undoubtedly this is one of the most interesting trips I have made, particularly as the weather has been so good, enabling us to fly low and note with ease the changing panorama and the different types of country and different buildings and boats, etc. ON TO CALCUTTA. Lunch was served—soup, assorted sandwiches, biscuits, butter and cheese, soft 'drink, fruit and coffee. At 3.15, we approached the vast network of rivers, lakes, islands and quicksands, all the work of the holy Ganges with its hundreds of mouths—the Delta of the Ganges, greater in area than England. For an hour we flew over the various outlets to the sea, that are used by this remarkable river. The hunrdeds of brown, smoothly-flowing water courses in their efforts to reach the sea have the appearance of huge snakes twining and twisting over the country. Along the various outlets of the Ganges are large patches of water, around which the brown houses squat, _as if all are [continually drinking, as if they would be overwhelmed by the enormous | amount of water if they let up on the I job for even a breather. ' We landed at Dum Dum aerodrome at 4 p.m., when I took a reluctant farewell of Commander Fryns and the Fokker. I stayed here for three days and took the Imperial Airways machine for Delhi. It is only two days since I left Singapore, but they seem like years, so many novel experiences and so much contrast have been crowded into the time. In the two days we have covered 2,100 miles in approximately 18 hours travelling time. Moving on every day is not as unsettling as I thought it would be, as everything is made so easy by the excellent organisation of the K.L.M. (To be Continued).