FLIGHT TO SINGAPORE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20205, 16 January 1934, Page 1

FLIGHT TO SINGAPORE.

Thrills on Survey of Air Route. CAIRO, January 4. A romantic excursion along a wild coast seldom visited by strangers unexpectedly fell to the lot of passengers on the seaplane investigating the Singapore air route, which has arrived here from Crete. The voyage yesterday was an exciting adventure as headwinds continued to delay the plane, but the officers rose superior to all emergencies. The pilot decided—as he was making so little headway after leaving Athens —that he would not risk a petrol failure over the long sea stretch to Alexandria. He landed at the remote harbour of Crete, surrounded by barren hills, on which a handful of primitive peasants scratch a very poor living. To-day the plane made an excellent flight across Egypt, but was unable to progress further owing to adverse weather reports and the absence of night-flying facilities. The delay emphasises the necessity for a concerted Empire effort to remove such handicaps from British air routes.