WAY OF THE AIR.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 224, 21 September 1928, Page 7

WAY OF THE AIR.

BID FOR RECORDS.

Britain's Attempt On Speed And

Endurance.

EFFORT TO BEAT 318£ M.P.H, (British Official Wireless.) (Received 12.30 p.m.) RUGBY, September 20.

The British attempt on the world's high speed air record will be made during the next few days by FlightLieutenant D'Arcy Greig, the pilot selected for the attempt. Lieutenant Greig has been practising during recent weeks with high speed craft at Felixstowe, but arrived yesterday at Calshot, Southampton, to practise with two Supermarine Napier seaplanes, either of which is considered capable of breaking the present record of 318£ miles per hour. He has never previously flown on these machines and the actual attempt on the record will not be made until he has had a trial flight and has adapted himself to local conditions of wind and tide in Southampton water. It is expected this will take only a few days. Squadron-Leader Noakes, who is the Royal Air Force officer chosen to make an attempt on the world's air endurance record, was injured at Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, to-day when the aeroplane which he was testing crashed. It is reported that his injuries are not serious. Mr. Noakes, who is well known as the inventor of the so-called "crazy flying" was in charge of the largest monoplane in the world at the recent Royal Air Force display at Hendon, and he is one of the oldest and most experienced pilots in the service. LONG MAIL SERVICE. Holland And Dutch East Indies Weekly. SUCCESSFUL INAUGURATION. (United Service.) (Received 9.30 a.m.) DELHI, September 20. The first aeroplane carrying mails from Holland, Iraq and Bagdad, arrived at Calcutta to-day. The journey from Amsterdam had occupied exactly a week and the flight inaugurates a regular weekly service between Holland and the Dutch East Indies. WOMAN PILOT KILLED Fatal Spin In Flight At Brooklands. FIRST IN BRITAIN. ' (Australian and N.Z. Press Association.) (Received 11 a.m.) LONDON, September 20. Miss Margaret Wellby was killec while piloting an aeroplane at Brooklands. She was flying low when th« machine developed a spin, the pilot being unable to recover it. t Miss Wellby is the first woman pilol killed in an air crash in Britain, thougl Lady Carbery was killed at Narobi, ii Kenya Colony. Several women passengers have beer killed.

AUTOGIRO DAMAGED.

TAIL DOWN LANDING.

(Australian Press Assn. —United Sepricc.)

(Received 11.30 a.m.)

PARIS, September 20.

While Senor de la Cierva's autogiro, the new type of craft that made a very successful flight from Croydon to Le Bourget, was descending vertically at Le Bourget the tail hit the ground heavily before the undercarriage, causing considerable damage.

NEW DIESEL ENGINE.

(United Service.)

NEW YORK, September 20.

A Detroit motor firm announces that it has made what is believed to be a revolutionary step in the development of aircraft power. A successful test was made of arr airplane driven by an oil-burning motor. This is the first Diesel type of aircraft engine ever built.

The test flight was made with a Stinson Detroiter monoplane. The motor is of the radial air-cooled type and develops 200 horse power on the Diesel principle. The use of oil fuel eliminates petrol ignition systems and spark plugs, and also removes the danger of fire from the petrol and reduces consumption and fuel costs. The claim is made that the new motor will carry a 'plane 25 per cent farther with the same weight of oil fuel, compared with petrol.