THE TRANSPACIFIC FLIGHT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 77, Issue 263, 6 November 1934, Page 4

THE TRANSPACIFIC FLIGHT

THE progress of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith in his flight from Australia to America has been overshadowed by the great race from London to Melbourne, but the former feat is in point of fact worthy of as much notice as the previous expedition of Smith and Ulm in the opposite direction.

The crossing of the Pacific in the Southern Cross in southerly direction for a long time remained the outstanding cross-sea flight of the world. The return trip is no less meritorious and would have received much more attention than has been given to it had it been an isolated long-distance flight; but the world has grown used to such feats. This does not mean that there is less appreciation of these accomplishments, but rather that aviators have been all along steadily building up that which they desired to establish, namely confidence in aviation by the general public. The aviators cannot, of course, have it both ways; they cannot be regarded as dare-devil adventurers who run great risks and at the same time engender the confidence of the public in the safety of long-distance aviation. The greatest testimony to aviation is that the outstanding feats of yesteryear are now almost commonplace events.