THE WORLD FLIGHT.

Waikato Times, Volume 110, Issue 18395, 31 July 1931, Page 4

THE WORLD FLIGHT.

AUSTRALIAN PILOT. RADIO PHONE STORY. GATTY TO SIR K. SMITH. SYDNEY, July 19. Hello Australia I Clearly and strongly across the whole American continent and over the watery waste of the Pacific canrn the voices of Mr Harold Gatty and Mr Wiley Post, the round-the-world fliers, to Sydney last night in a long radio telephone talk with Sir Keith Smith. Gatty disclosed that he hoped to visit Australia at Christmas, and that Post, the American pilot on the round-the-world flight, wishes to come here too. . “Congratulations, old man, on that great flight of yours," said Sir Keith Smith, sitting in a room high up In the building of Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia), Ltd., to Gatty, who answered the call in New York a little after 7 o’clock in the morning. “I hope to come to Australia before long,” said Gatty, In reply to the first question by Sir Keith. His voice was clear and revealed an American accent, the legacy of his residence In the States* Wiley Post was introduced at this stage by a New York announcer as one of the greatest pilots in the world and “a wild man from Oklahoma.” “I hope some time to come to Australia, too,” he said in answer to questions, speaking with a fruity American drawl. “We are going for 'a tour round the United States.” Little Annie Pollkoff. “Tell us something about Annie Pollkoff," said Sir Keith Smith to Gatty. “Say," said Gatty, “someone has been telling you something. Post knows more about her than I do. She Is a little girl of 16. She was born in London of Ruslsan parents, and went to Siberia when she was 10 years old. Since then she has spoken no English. Her conversation is a quaint mixture of Cockney and Russian. She was the only girl in the whole village who could speak English. “We got on very well with our navigation equipment,” Gatty went on. “We had a little snow and ice on the wings. Our average, speed was about a little better than 150 miles an hour, and night flying was rather better than day, as a matter of fact. The ‘ship’ was really a six-passenger ship, but with our additional tanks there was not muoh room left for more than us. Post Is very anxious to go out to Australia.”

“Gatty a Great Man." At this stage the voice of Wiley Post came through again. “Say, this man Gatty Is a great man. He is a good Australian, and loves Australia, but the people here are having a good try to make Gatty a citizen of the United States. My suggestion is that Gatty be knighted Sir Harold- Gatty by Australians in Australia, and you better do it right away. He has already been made a oolonel by the Governor of Oklahoma. “We will have to crown him," said Sir Keith Smithi “What with —a beer bottle?" Gatty’s voice broke in. “Post flew the ship all the way. I sat back and amused myself at navigation. There were eight or nine feet of tanks separating us, and we had to use a speaking-tube. We could not see each other. We met Will Rogers and took him up In the ship. Back to Tasmania. “Lindbergh is getting ready for a flight to Japan by way of Alaska. Ha is in New York now. From Moscow the Siberian country was pleasant enough. The Ural Mountains we found were only about 1000 feet high. We hit the trans-Siberian railway at many places. The Behring Sea flignt was the hardest leg. It was pretty bleak, snow and ice, and sometimes we were only 15 feet from the water. I would like to get to Australia for Christmas, as I have not seen my poople for six years. I have been three and a half years In America. I was unable to get to Tasmania to see my father and mother. I want to say good-bye now to Australia, this morning, and to my mother and fathei*, who are listening, and all my friends." Message from Parents. Mr Macdonald, of A.W.A., read to Gatty a message from his parents and members of his family in Hobart, in which they expressed their pride at his achievement, and the wish that he would oome to Australia for a ■holiday with his wife and children. Gatty thanked them for their kind remembrances. Another message of congratulation on what he termed "an epio achievement" was read from Air-Commodore Kings ford Smith, who said that he regretted that his unavoidable absence in Melbourne prevented his conveying congratulations over the radio ’phone. Gatty in reply asked that his thanks be oonveyed to “Smithy." The conversation was transmitted through the A.W.A. Transmitting Centre at Pennant Hills, and was broadcast to the whole of America through the National Broadcasting Campany’s chain of 20 stations. Transmislson on the American side was by the Sohnectady station W2XAF of the General Electrio Company of America, and was broadcast to' the Australian public through the Australian Broadcasting Company’s station.