Miss Scott Reaches N.Z.

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31079, 7 June 1966, Page 1

Miss Scott Reaches N.Z.

(N.Z Press Association) AUCKLAND, June 6. The 39-yeai-old British actress, Miss Sheila Scott, completed what she called “easily the best flight of my world tour so far” when she landed her single - engined Piper Comanche aircraft at Auckland Airport at 3.49 this afternoon.

Miss Scott said her aircraft had been free of technical troubles for the first time since she left England 19 days ago in her attempt to make the world’s longest solo flight in a single-engined aircraft In addition, she had been able to keep in almost continuous sadio contact with

friendly voices including four Qantas aircraft which had come into range.

Weather permitting, she planned to spend only 14 hours in Auckland before taking off at 6 a.m. tomorrow for lunch and refuelling at Norfolk Island and landing at Nandi tomorrow night. After taking off at 6.29 this morning (Sydney time), Miss Scott completed the 1330-mile crossing to Auckland in 7 hours 20 minutes.

Her first sighting of New Zealand was from about 60 miles offshore, when she glimpsed Kaipara Heads and excitedly called over her radio, “I can see land. Isn’t it terrific.” Seconds later she was met by a Piper aircraft of the Auckland Aero Club, piloted by Mr G. Wilson, which escorted hereto the runway at Mangere. There a crowd of almost 1000 watched her aligij, and

she called to them, “It was sweet of you to come and meet me.” before seeking out Mr Wilson to thank him. Miss Scott said technical and wiring troubles which had put her four days behind schedule were disappointing. But she hoped they had finished with her successful trans-Tasman flight “I have had only four or five hours’ sleep quite often,” she said. “At Rangoon I got only two hours. It is very difficult to get sleep when you are travelling east and losing two or three hours a day. “I have also spent many hours in the night supervising foreign mechanics, most of whom are airline employees who have never seen an aircraft as small as mine.” On the other hand, the hospitality extended to her at all stops—and in the air—had compensated for the rigours of the flight. “The hospitality has opened

my eyes,” she said. “1 have never known such friendship, even in Bali where I was the only non-Indonesian for miles.” Miss Scott said flying solo in all weathers over hundreds of miles of oceans, deserts and jungles was an adventure that obviously held some dangers. But she rarely thought about danger. “I have had one or two moments of technical trouble on this trip that were a little frightening,” she said. “But looking back on them they were just adventures.” Miss Scott said she filled in time while flying by listening to music, taking Spanish lessons from a tape recorder, and dictating the last two chapters of a book she is writing on flying. “I played the 1812 and Beethoven's Fifth today,” she said. “But I like most forms of music that don’t have a big beat a square, really.”