BY AIR TO INDIA"

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 92, 18 April 1929, Page 7

BY AIR TO INDIA"

PASSENGERS RETURN HOME A COMFORTABLE JOURNEY [ British Official Wireless. 1 RUGBY, April 15. Aliss Chctwynd, daughter of J.ord Chetwynd, vice-chairman of Imperial Airways, who arrived in London yesterday from Karachi in the first IndiaEngland air liner, had never previously entered an aeroplane. She says the journey was extremely comfortable and interesting, and she never experienced one moment’s nervousness. She is the first of her sex to make the India-Eng-land flight. Sir Vyell Vyvyan, who made the double journey to India and back, covering 10,000 miles in .15 days, said the only trouble experienced was sandstorms, which even extended to a height of 10,000 ft. The oppressive heat of the Persian Gulf was avoided by flying over it at (5000 ft. The total flying time had been 54 hours 'each way. The Air ATinistcr, Sir Samuel Hoare, also flew about 10,000 miles in 15 days, including several thousand miles over the northern part of the African air route to Capetown, getting nearly to Uganda. The new 5000 miles Imperial Airway route has been opened most auspiciously. It marked the beginning of the Empire work of Imperial air routes. The entire journey from London to India and back has been made in Jess tiniQ than the fastest shipping transport, travelling night and day, takes to make the journey one way only. The transport of mails between England and India Lus thus been reduced by at least half. The route crosses 13 countries, the machines alighting in India, Baluchistan, Persia, Iraq. Transjordania, Palestine, Egypt, Italian Libya, Greece, Italy, .Switzerland, France, and England. Three different types of machines are operating on the route. The section from India along the Persian Gulf and over Iraq, via Basra and Bagdad, to Egypt, is flown by triple-serew De Haviland Jupiter air liners, .'-pecially built for operating in the extreme climatic conditions prevailing there. In Egypt a change is made to big allmetal Short Jupiter flying boats, which carry the mail to Genoa. Here, they are placed on board the night train to Basle, the only section of the entire journey not covered by air. At Basle the mails are transhipped to 21-seater triple-screw Armstrong Siddeley air liners and are flown via Paris to Lon-