TO TAXI PLANE ACROSS COOK STRAIT

Chronicle (Levin), 24 July 1947, Page 5

TO TAXI PLANE ACROSS COOK STRAIT

BLENHEIM, July 23. Weather perm.it ting, a Walrus amphibian, sister plane to that which some weeks ago ligured in an unauthorised flight from Woodbourne to Para paraumu, will leave trom Cloudy Bay. about 12 miles :from Blenheim, in an attempt to taxi aeross Cook Stra.it The machine, which was recently pur chased from the W ar Assets Realisation Board by Mr. J. M. Gould, o:' Paraparaumu, was towed to Cloudy 'Bay today and suceessfully floated after considerable difficulty. The tow from Blenheim took the best part of three hours and the machine required several adjustments after its arrival a1 the beach. Before the actual shorelint was reached a length of soft grave. had to be traversed and the plan( bogged down at a point not far from the water. This uecessitated a loug wait until the rising tide made it wuterborne and it iwas nearly dark be fore the pilot, Mr. H. G. . Fairlie, an associate of Mr. -Gould, todk the. pianc away from the sliore. After a taxx ox" several thousand yards, Mr. Fairlie turned the machine and anchored for the night, coming ashore by dinghy The weather for the whole of this oper ation was perfect and it is expected that the same cond-itions will apply tomorrow. Most of the morning will be taken up with refuelling and if the sea is anything like as giassy cairn as it was today, a start on the strange journey is expected to be made aboul midday.