French Airmen Make Good Progress In Early Stage Of Trans-Atlantic Flight.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18785, 14 June 1929, Page 1

French Airmen Make Good Progress In Early Stage Of Trans-Atlantic Flight.

ATTAIN GREAT SPEED, LEAVING COASTGUARD ESCORT BEHIND.—AMERICAN FLYERS CRASH.

(United Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) (Received June 14, 9.5 a.m.) NEW YORK, June 13. A REPORT from Old Orchard, Maine, states that Armona Lotti (sponsor and co-pilot), Jean Assolant (pilot), and Rene Lefevre (navigator), in a giant ochre-winged French monoplane named Yellow Bird, made a perfect take-off at 10.10 this morning on their long-deferred attempted flight to Paris, while eleven minutes later two Americans, Williams and Yancey, narrowly escaped serious injury, when their ’plane Green Flash ploughed into the sands and was greatly damaged.

The Americans sped down the cres-cent-shaped beach in an attempted take-off on their projected 4750-mile flight to Rome, but had travelled only a third of a mile when the 6500 pounds craft tore into the soft sands and almost overturned. The airmen were uninjured, but both wheels of the ’plane were torn off, the propellor smashed, the wing broken, the fabric torn and the engine damaged, making it unlikely that a further attempt will be made in it. Meanwhile, having overcome the weather obstacles which had kept them land-bound for three weeks, the Frenchmen were proceeding north-eastward towards Cape Sable with the expectation of reaching Paris in thirty hours.

■ The French ’plane, though totalling in l weight 13,700 pounds made a beautiful ; take-off with Assolant at the controls, r Lefevre navigating and Lotti taking > charge of the radio. Within half an hour of their depart- - ure Lieutenant Leonard Melka, of the : United States Coastguard, who intend- , ed to escort both ’planes over the first 100 miles, returned to the beach and reported that, the Yellow Bird, travel- : ling at a high speed, had outdistanced his amphibian, forcing him to abandon his plan to accompany them further. Melka declared that the Frenchmen’s motor seemed to be functioning perfectly' and the craft to be making excellent time. —Australian Press Asociation.