IN THE AIR.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 16455, 6 June 1919, Page 3

IN THE AIR.

BIG HANDLEY-PAGE MACHINE.

FOR TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.

By Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright,

(Received June 6, 10.10 a.m.)

NEW YORK, May 25. The St. John’s correspondent of the Now York Times says that the? Hand-ley-JPago bombing biplane which is being assembled will be the largest airplane to attempt the trans-Atlantic flight. Fully loaded, the machine can carry 29,94:j1b. It is equipped with four Rolls-Royce eight-cylinjler engines, generating a total of 1500 horsepower. It is estimated that-the engines consume 108 gallons of petrol per itour, and produce a speed of 90 miles per hour. The plane will carry 2376 gallons of petrol, and is equipped with a wireless plant with a 250-milo receiving radius. It can continue to fly even if two engines are not working. The estimated cost of the biplane is £24,000. It is expected it will he ready .for a test flight within a fortnight.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

FRENCH COMPETITORS

FOR TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT

LONDON, May 24

French aviators, Captains Madon and Coli and Lieutenant Regret, have entered for the Atlantic flight competition. Captain Madon proposes to fly from Brest to New York.—Aus-N.Z. Cable Assn.

HAWKER’S STOPPAGE,

DUE TO TRIFLING DEFECT,

(Received June 6, 10.30 a.m.)

NEW YORK, May 20. Tho Danish steamship Mary, which picked up Hawker and Grieve, cleared from Now Orleans for Horscns, in Denmark, on April 26 with a cargo of cotton seed cake, the first cargo of its kind to leave New Orleans since the war. She was a slow ship and heavily laden. Hawker covered at least 750 miles of tho full course towards Ireland. The aeroplane was not 20 miles out of its course when the Verry light was seen. Though tho airmen wore not assisted by a chain of destroyers like the Americans they kept their course equally well. The choice of tho northern instead of the Azores route was justified. Experts point out that the engine mishap was tho trivial stoppage of the water pipe between the radiator and tho water pump, which caused tho circulation of the water to stop and rapidly boil away, so tho engine became heated. It was impossible to correct tile defect in the air and Hawker was unable to rise as tho machine was an aeroplane and not a seaplane. Ir tho machine had had floats he could have repaired tho defect nad continued the flight.