AVIATION.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20102, 4 December 1930, Page 11

AVIATION.

LONDON TO CAPE TOWN. j FLIGHT IN FIVE DAYS. | ! MISS SPOONER TO ATTEMPT IT. I .. (r.viTiD r-:i:-;ss association-—by klectbic TELEGRAPH —COPYRIGHT.) (Received December 3rd, 10.45 p.m.) LONDON, December 2. Miss "Winifred Spooncr, the King's Cup winner, is setting out at dawn on Weflnesday in a dramatic attempt to fly from London to Cape Town in flvo days, which is four days less than the previous record. She will be accompanied by Flying-Officor E. Edwards, and plans to fly by night as well as by day. Miss Spooner says that she hopeß to show that the Imperial Airways service, which will soon be inaugurated, could run a five days' schedule with relay pilots and machines. She. of course, is depending on one machine, a de Soutter monoplane, of 120 horsepower Gipsy engine, which carries sufficient petrol for eleven hours. It haa a speed of 110 miles per hour, and a range of 1200 miles. The distance of her route is 10,250 miles.

Captain Barnard is also setting out on Wednesday for Cape Town.

MISS SPOONER COMMENCES JOURNEY. (Received December 4th, 12.40 a.m.) LONDON, Deeember 3. Miss Spooner and Flying-Officer Ed' wards left Croydon for Cape Town at 7 a.m. i MRS MILLER'S FLIGHT. PUBLICITY SUGGESTIONS DENIED. STATEMENT BY FLYER. (riJITED PRESS ASSOCIATION —BT ELECTRIC TEMaBAPH —COPYRIGHT.) (Received December 3rd, 7.45 p.m.) MIAMI, December 2. Karl Voelkert, who flew to Nassau and returned on Tuesday in a relief aeroplane, brought back copies of a statement given by Mrs Miller for publication. She said, in part: "I am most unhappy about myßelf. An an experienced flyer I feel ashamed to think that I failed to reach my objective. Those who suggested that I might do so for publicity purposes are despicable. I hope my reputation as a sportswoman is good enough to refute sueh a thought."

RETURN TO MIAMI ON WEDNESDAY.

(Received December 3rd, 7 p.m.) MIAMI, December 2. Mrs Miller and Captain Lancaster expect to fly to Miami on Wednesday in the aeroplane with which she made the forced landing at Andros Island. Captain Lancaster and Mr John Liggett flew to Nassau on Tuesday, where they picked up Mrs Miller. They proceeded to the stranded aeroplane, carrying gasoline and oil. Mr Liggett has returned to Miami. DID NOT KNOW WHERE SHE WAS. HAVANA, December 2. Mrs Keith Miller told the following story to-day:— '' A terrific gale blew me oft' my course somewhere between Havana and tho mainland. Then my compass went out of order, and I flew for seven hours looking for a place to land. The gas began to run low and I became panicky. "I didn't know whether I was in the Gulf of Mexico or over the Atlantic. It was a relief when I saw a spot of land. I thought it was Florida, but it was a village called Kemp's Bay, on Andros Island.

"There was a terrific wind, but X came in with full motor, stalled her, and then pancaked into thick bushes. I looked over the ship, and it was 0.K., bo I started to walk. It was sixteen miles to the first telegraph station. 1 walked over the rockiest beach I ever saw. My feet were blistered, and I was mighty tired."

FORMER RESIDENT OF TIMARU.

ATTENDED SCHOOL THERE. (SPE<i*AL TO THE TRESS.) TIMARU, December 3. Mrs Keith Miller is the daughter of Mr C. S. Beveridg© and Mrs Beveridge, formerly of Timanj. Mr Beveridge, who died about two years ago, arrived in Timaru in May, 1916, from Melbourne in order to open a branch of tho Commercial Bank of Australia, of winch he was the first local manager. He returned to Melbourne in December, 1917. During the. time the family resided in Timaru, Miss Jessie Beveridge, who was then 14 or 15 years of age, waa a day pupil at the head Diocesan School for Girls. She was very popular among the girls, was a keen athlete, a good tennis p»»y® r ' and had numerous successes m tne school sports to her credit. The familv was very well known during their short residence m Timaru.

RlOl DISASTER ENQUIRY. RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS TO BE GIVEN. (BKXTXBB OJTICIAL WIEBLKSS.'I (Received December 3rd, 5.5 p.m.) RUGBY, December 2. The enquiry into the loss of RlOl will resume its sittings to-morrow. The enquiry was adjourned for further calculations and experiments to be made with a view to ascertaining niore clearly the cause of the disaster. As the result of the work done in the interval, some further facts will o®

established, and experts will express views based upon them. Further sittings of the Court are not expected to extend beyond the week.

AEROPLANES FOR FOREIGN POWERS. GROWTH OF BRITISH TRADE. (Received Decemuer 3rd, 5.5 p.m.) . RUGBY, December 2. The aeronautical correspondent of "The Times," commenting on the steady growth during the last five years of British trade in the manufacture of military aeroplanes, states: Machines constructed in Great Britain are now in use by the Air Forces of 24 foreign nations. The value of last year's sales of aircraft and engines abroad exceeded "that of the previous year and totalled over £1,000,000. The total will certainly bo higher in the current year. SCHNEIDER CUP ENTRIES. REJECTION BY BRITAIN UPHELD. PARIS, Deoember 2. The aero clubs of Great, Britain, France, and Italy, after a conference, upheld the British rejection of the French and Italian entries for July 26th, 1931, and fixed the deposit at the original sum of £I6OO. The race is to be held over a 60kilometres course in August or September, 1031. The venue has not been announced. [The Royal Aero Club of Great Britain, as the body governing air racing in Great Britain, the country which at present holds the Schneider Trophy, has to receive the challenges from the aero clubs of other countries for the trophy. Some time ago the club refused to accept an Italian challenge, because, according to the British interpretation of the _ rules, a larger cash deposit was required than Italy sent. France is in the same position. As .far as can be gathered French and Italian challenges will still be accepted if they are accompanied by the full deposit.] GISBORNE AERO CLUB. (lAE9S ASSOCIATION TEI.KOFAII.) GISBORNE, December 3, At a public meeting this evening it was decided to form a Gisborne Aero Club for the Poverty Bay district. Gisborne has now an up-to-dat® flying ground, all completed for landing, and plans for hangars were approved by the Borough Council last evening.