AROUND AUSTRALIA

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXX, Issue 190, 20 August 1935, Page 7

AROUND AUSTRALIA

SOLO FLIGHT DONE IN 3 DAYS, 9H. 57M. By taking only 3 days 9 hours and 54 minutes for a 7140-mile flight around Australia, H. F. Broadbent, the 25-year-old Sydney aviator, has regained the record for that trip. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and the late Flight-Lieutenant Ulm held the first title when they took 10 days and 5 hours, but in 1931.Broadbent recaptured the record by flying around Australia, solo, in 7 days and 8 hours. C. James Melrose, of Melbourne Centenary Air Race fame, was the next to tackle the journey, and he took the title from Broadbent by doing the distance in 5 days and 11 hours.

Broadbent has now cut down the time by 2 days, 1 hour and 6 minutes.

Strangely, the Puss Moth used, by Broadbent was the same plane that

gave Melrose the title, Broadbent buying it from the young South Australian aviator before left for England this year. It was practically a sleepless journey, Broadbent resting for only about one hour during the three and a half days. He did a large amount of night flying but was lucky to encounter good weather nearly all the way.

Broadbent said there was Immediate value in the accomplishment of the flight. Like all other recordbreaking stunts, it was the value that would be derived later that counted. The same principle applied to any branch of sport. Each attempt helped to improve machines and each record challenged improvement.