ALWAYS ARRIVES ON TIME.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIV, Issue 18848, 10 April 1931, Page 11

ALWAYS ARRIVES ON TIME.

H.A.F. CAPE SERVICE. LONDON, February 10. Exactly to schedule the flight of three large Vickers “Victoria” troopcarrying biplanes descended on Sunday at Cape Town, concluding the outward half of the annual Royal Air Force formation cruise from Cairo to Cape Town and back. The machines circled above Table Bay before landing watched by thousands of onlookers and were welcomed by Lord Clarendon, the Governor-General. To-morrow they are timed to begin the return journey, reaching Cairo again towards the middle of next month after flying 11,250 miles. For the first time troop carriers are making the flight, previously entrusted to single-engined day bombers. The size of the troop earners, each of which weighs with full load on board nearly 8 tons, introduced new problems of take-off, accentuated by the rarity of the atmosphere at some of the aerodromes along the route, one or two of which are located more than 6,000 feet above sea-level. That the flight reached Cape Town without untoward incident and dead on time is proof that the difficulties were satisfactorily overcome, and the success of the enterprise will strengthen still further belief in the importance In air strategy of the big "heavy transport” aeroplane. At several aerodromes along the route the troop carriers bore aloft infantrymen, both British and African, giving them experience in this twentieth century method of moving soldiers and their equipment. The “Victoria” biplane, destined to go down to history for the valiant part machines of this kind played in the evacuation of 600 refugees from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, during the civil war in 1928-29, is a big bi-< plane lifted by wings measuring ffl

feet from tip to tip. Two “Lion” 530 (normal) horsepower water-cooled engines provide the power and, with tanks full, the big machine can cruise in still air up to 770 miles nan-stop.