TESTING "BRITANNIA."

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1970, 29 January 1914, Page 6

TESTING "BRITANNIA."

FOR COMING PUBLIC FLIGHT. .(By Telcsrs^h.—Special Correspondent,) Auckland;'. January '28. Mr. J. J. Hammond made a short but quite successful flight at Alexandra Park yesterday afternoon in tho monoplane Britannia. It had been his intention to try a flight with a passenger, the wind and other conditions being favourable., and about 345 p.m. ho made .111 ascent from tho Showground by way of a preliminary test. After some adjustments had been made to one of tho cycle wheels supporting the machine, it was moved out of tho temporary hangar in tho presence of a gathering of about thirty persons, including a good contingent of male initiates from the Costley Home. Having' accomplished tho preliminary run across the paddock, Mr. Hammond rose easily into the air,, and made three circles round the ground at a moderate, height. He then circled once between Alexandra Park and Mount St. John, and made- a beautiful descent, coming to rest, without the least shock, a few yards from " tho starting point. The descent showed tho effectiveness of tho braking strut beneath tho tail of tho snonoplano, which was dug into the earth after the machine had run some yards on' its .wheels, thus bringing it up in a very short distance. The flight had lasted about ten minutes. On stepping down from his seat, Mr. Hammond stated that'ho did hot intend to make a second flight, as the trial had shown that the planes of tho machine needed "doping, or treating with a special preparation that is applied periodically to the fabric. The monoplane had been inclined to "get her nose down," and he wanted to get the engine into better trim before getting going again. Th» doping process takes about a' day, so that the machine should be in readiness for the public flight arranged for'to-morrow (Anniversary Day).