The Waikato Independent TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1935. CAMBRIDGE BOY'S ACHIEVEMENT.

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXV, Issue 3265, 5 February 1935, Page 4

The Waikato Independent TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1935. CAMBRIDGE BOY'S ACHIEVEMENT.

That a New Zealander, and particularly a former Cambridge resident, should have achieved a flight which has done something to further air development in Ireland, is something worthy of more than passing mention. On the opposite page we publish the. full story of Mr F. W. Griffith's recent dramatic flight from London to Dublin with photographs of the Royal wedding, in the face of fog and other conditions which made flying extremely difficult. This is what "The Irish Times" says editorially about the flight: "It is a regretable truth that air development virtually is at a standstill in Ireland; but the story of how the Royal wedding photographs were brought to Dublin will do much io encourage the enthusiasts. At one lime during the course of the day it seemed that the fog was going to ruin all the preparations. With remarkable speed, in view of the congested nature of the streets, the photographs had been delivered to the pilot commissioned to bring them across, and then, at the last moment it was suggested that the flight to Dublin was out of the question. Ignoring all these predictions, however, the Everson Air Service pilot (Mr Griffith) set out into the impenetrable fog, and, flying blind tlie whole way, eventually/reached Skepo, Where he re-fuelld, and then continued his journey, to arrive at Kilctonan exactly on time. For a private air service, without the advantages of directional wireless, or floodlit aerodromes, this was indeed a triumph, and all praise is due to the pilot, and to the organisers of the flight. "Besides being a notable achievement, however, this flight is of import--aiferc*inasmuch as it marks the comparative ease with which the journey by air from England can be made. Now that it has been demonstrated that thero are no insuperable obstacles to be overcome in running an aeroplane to time between Ireland and England, surely we can be deprived no longer of a regular service. Every other eouiury of importance has her own airlines, and, although our need for internal communication is not so urgent, we must, for our increased prosperity,, provide a means by which business men can make the return journey between Dublin and London in one day. instead of three."