FAMOUS PILOTS.

Thames Star, Volume LXV, Issue 19212, 19 September 1934, Page 3

FAMOUS PILOTS.

SOME OF THE STARTERS. t in ii Outstanding Performances. N.Z. SPEED ENTRANTS. ' SUMMARY OF RECORDS. It is not possible in the space available to give the outstanding performances in the air of all the leading pilots entered for the- London to Melbourne Centenary Air Race, but the records of some of the more prominent entrants are given below:— SIR CHARLES KINGSFORD-SMITH During the War served in the R.F.C. and R.A.F. 1924—Chief Pilot to West Australian Airways. 1926—Partner and pilot of Interstate Air Service, Sydney. •1927—Record flight around Australia. 1928—Started round-the-world flight from America. Crossed the Pacific to Australia in a 3-hop flight. Made, first crossing of Tasman Sea. I 1929—Flew from Australia to England ! in l'ii days. 1930—Commander and pilot of Transatlantic flight from east to west, completing round - the - world flight. 1931 —Created new solo record from England to Australia. 1931—Flew to England with first Australian air mail. 1932 —Made an unsuccessful attempt ■ on the Australia-England record.1933—Madera" record solo flight from England to Australia in seven days. This record still stands. 1934—Made new Australian trans-con-w tinental record, Perth to Sydney 9 hrs. 32 mins. Captain P. G. Taylor .will act as . co-pilot.

JAMES MOLLISON 1923 —Commissioned in R.A.F. 1925—Served in India. 1927 —Qualified as instructor at Central Flying School. 1925-29—Instructor to Australian Aero Club. "f 1929-30—Pilot to Eyre Peninsular Airways. 1930 —Joined Australian National Airways. '« • 1931—Established record flight Aus-tralia-England in eight days. 1932 —Record England - Cape Town flight, 6,200 miles in four days 17 hours 19mins. This was also the ■ first big flight by the West African route. 1932—First solo" Atlantic flight from east to west. 1933 —Record Europe - Africa - South America flight in 3 days 10 hours. This was also the first solo South Atlantic flight from east to west. 1933—With Mrs. Mollison crossed the North Atlantic from east to west. MRS. MOLLISON (nee Amy Johnson) 1929 —Obtained her "A" certificate and ground engineer's certificate. 1930—Record flight from England to Australia. Broke Hinkler's record time to India. ~~ 1931—5010 flight to Tokio. 1932 —Record England - Cape Town flight in 4 days 6 hours 54 niins., breaking her husband's record. Record Cape Town-England flight in T days 7 hours. SQUAD.-LDR. J. D. HEWETT and FLYING-OFFICER C. KAY Squadron-Leader J. D. Hewett is one of New Zealand's most successful commercial pilots. In 1929 he established Falcon Airways, an -Auckland Company, and he has had many commissions, taking him to all parts of the Dominion. His services are frequently used for emergency trips by business men and newspapers. Served as a pilot in the War, and now in command of No. "1 Division of the N.Z. Territorial Air Force. Flying-Officer C. Kay made a flight with H. L. Piper from England to Australia a few years" ago. They used a Desoutter machine, which Kay sold after he resigned from the R.A.F. to live in New Zealand. Since he has been in N.Z. Kay has flown periodically as an Aero Club member. JAMES K. BAINES Once resident in Palmei'ston North, New Zealand, Baines is a young Englishman who lived in New Zealand for 13 years. He*.qualified for his licence early in 1933, and purchased his own machine, Avian ZK-AAN. Baines has as yet had no experience in long-dis-tance flying.