HEAD WIND ALL THE WAY

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLVIII, Issue 21574, 9 February 1940, Page 6

HEAD WIND ALL THE WAY

AOTEAROA TAKES IT HOURS TO CROSS THE TASMAN

By Telegraph—Press Association AUCKLAND, February 8.

Meeting head winds for practically the whole distance, the Tasman Empire Airways flying boat Aotearoa crossed the Tasman from Auckland to Sydney in slightly more than 11 hours. She carried as passengers the Marquess of Willingdon, the British Government representative at the Centennial celebrations, the Marchioness of Willingdon, Lord Errington, secretary to the Marquess Willingdon, Senator the Hon. P. A. M. Mcßride, Assistant Minister of Commerce in Australia. Mrs McBride and two members of the Marquess of Willingdon's personal staff. Sir Harry Batterbee. High Commissioner for Great Britain in New Zealand, and Captain Lord Donner, A.D.C. to the GovernorGeneral, Viscount Galway, were among those who went to the air base to bid farewell to the visitors.

The flying boat rose off the water at 8.5 a.m. Because of the winds prevailing it was expected that the Aotearoa would take longer over the crossing than usual, and she was not expected at Sydney until about 7 p.m. She demonstrated her punctuality by arriving at 7.4 p.m. It was reported that persistent head winds had marked the flight. At one stage there was a surface wind of 39 knots dead ahead, equal to light gale force, and the flight was made at low altitudes, experience showing that when westerly winds are □lowing on the Tasman they increase n strength with height. The average speed for the crossing was about 105 miles an hour.

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