SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT

Waikato Times, Volume 117, Issue 19474, 14 January 1935, Page 2

SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT

HONOLULU TO OAKLAND. WOMAN’S GOOD PERFORMANCE United Press Assn. —Elec. Tel. Copyright. SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12. Mrs Amelia (Earhart) Putnam hopped off from the Wheeler Field, Honolulu, at 4.45 p.m. yesterday on a solo flight to Oakland, California. She landed at Oakland at 1.34 p.m. to-day, A message from Honolulu states that when.the airwoman left there the field was covered with tropical mud. She forced her wavering aeroplane to the air, however. On the flight she reported from time to time hy wireless. The weather was overcast outside and atmospheric conditions cut off parts of the messages. At one stage the airwoman failed to give her position by radio. Mrs Putnam carried a collapsible life-raft, a_ lifebelt and other safety devices. This is the first solo flight ever made from Hawaii to California. The flying time was 18 hours 16 minutes. “ I am tlrerd,” said the airwoman as she popped her head out of the cockpit to the 'Cheers of 5000 spectators and ran a comb through her hail'. Two hours later she went to bed. Although she -had been watched for Mrs Putnam took the crowd by surprise when she landed without cirollng the field. “It was worse than the Atlantic flight,” she said. “ I thought I would like to have a sight of land twice. I was never lost, but I veered to the south. I first sighted land about.6o miles south of San Francisco, hut was not sure it was la^d. “ I throttled the motor purposely to save fuel. I do not understand why anyone was worried because I did not •give my position. It was because I did not shoot the stars with my sextant and therefore' could not do so. I wasted a lot of time because some of my equipment and the new type of compass I carried threw Tne off.” “ A ventilator blew off and bothered me considerably, but the motor functioned perfectly. Commercial flights between Hawaii and California are entirely feasible and inevitable. We will be flying everywhere in a short time. I have two hours’ fuel left.”