RETURN TO N.Z. BY AIR

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24899, 12 June 1946, Page 8

RETURN TO N.Z. BY AIR

THIRTEEN MEMBERS OF N.Z.E.F. CATALINA MAKES QUICK TASMAN CROSSING (P.A.) AUCKLAND, June 11. Thirteen of 27 members of the 2nd N.Z.E.F. who have been - stranded in Sydney for several weeks were flown home to-day by a Catalina flying-boat of the Royal New Zealand" Air-Force. Piloted by Flight Lieutenant S. R. Carleton, the Catalina landed at Mechanics Bay shortly after 4 p.m. after a particularly rapid crossing of the Tasman in ideal flying weather. The soldiers made the second fastest Syd-ney-Auckland Catalina flight, the time of seven hours being only 15 minutes under the record. The servicemen were among the last New Zealanders to withdraw from Italy, being engaged on guard duties until March of this year. They spent some leave in Britain, and travelled to Sydney in the aircraft-carrier Indefatigable. Those whose homes were in the city were dispersed soon after their arrival. The others were accommodated at the Orakei Army transit camp, and will leave by air and train in the morning for their home towns. Six members of the draft are South Islanders. A second Catalina will fly to Sydney this week to bring home the 14 servicemen who remain there.

The Catalina, which brought the New Zealand soldiers home to-day, met unusually bad weather on its flight to Sydney last Friday. During a violent hailstorm about half-way across the Tasman a big strip was torn from the aircraft’s elevator, but this was not noticed by the crew until they prepared to land at Sydney. The damaged section of the elevator fortunately did not enlarge, and the pilot, Flight Lieutenant Carleton, put the flying-boat down successfully after an exceptionally long flight of more than 10 hours. The strip which was.broken off was about five feet lohg by two feet wideband when the Catalina arrived back in Auckland it carried a red patch where the elevator had been repaired in Sydney.