Navigational Flights From Ohakea

Chronicle (Levin), 23 December 1949, Page 3

Navigational Flights From Ohakea

m — — . " AUCKLAND^ Dec. 22. TJsing only baslc navigational aids, navigators of Mosquito aircraft of'No. 75 Fighter-Bomber Squadron, Ohakea, are achieving extremely high technical performanees in long range ' flights to a small isolat§d rock in the .Kermadec group, in the past fortnight. Five aircraft have made the flight and all have been within sight of the rock at their eetimated time of arrival. The average error after a flight across ope'n sea oi. hundreds of miles, has been only five or six miles. ' Turning point for the flights wa? L'Esperance Rock, a southern islet of the Kermadec gronp, more than 50 miles to" the .southwest of the main iSlands. The rock is abcrut 230ft -'higli and covers only i2 acres. The only feature within miles is 'Ravre 'Rock which lies just awash seven miles to the. north West of L 'Esper an.ee." The rock's only inhabitants are sea birds. Squadron Leader C. H. Baigeht, D.S.O., a.f.c5., commanding No. 75 Squadron, said in an interyiew from Ohakea yesterday, that long range flights to L'Esperance Roqk began on December 7 after Mosquito crews had trained on flights from Ohakea to Oape Maria Van Deimen and to the Ohatham Islands. Aircraft took off from Ohakea about 6.30 a.m. and returned to their base about six hours later. The return flight was of about 1400 statute miles, e-xtra petrol tanks being necessary.