MELBOURNE-SYDNEY PLIGHT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 52, 24 November 1917, Page 7

MELBOURNE-SYDNEY PLIGHT

RECORD.

. •' By, his recent flight from Sydney. to ■.■Melbourne and .back,in a Gur.ties bi-.--.plane, Flight-Lieutenant Stutt, of the State Aviation School, has established ■■' a .record 'as .far a§, Australia is con- ;.-, ;cerued. Duringhis long flight he;made ;only olio .stop—at'Cobtamuhdra—thus - ■-. establishing .the long-distance record .-- for. Australasia. -,He is also the only : : .aviator, who has flown from Sydney to ; . Melbourne in the one day. Owing to !•• engine trouble, [Lieutenant. Stutt was i . compelled to- -leave,- at Cootamundra '■' the passenger v who accompanied him l : ■ from Melbourne. - •

. .-Speaking to a "Sydney.Morning Hereld reporter,: Lieutenant Stutt said: .v 'I left,the Point, ; Cook aerodrome at 6 • o clock. -. The weather was good till I » T -reached. Benalla. Soon after, however, •••■ I struck very bad.weather—heavy Tains and low.clouds. I passed over Albury at 7.30, and arrived at Cootamundra •at three minutes-past 10. I rosumed ■ ■■: the journey jit twenty minuses past 11, '. and finally landed at Richmond at 2.30 p.mV ;■ Aften 'leaving Goulburn, Lieu- ;■' 4enant Stutfc; struck a thunderstorm, ■ and was.blown ; a little way-out to sea. The actual-flying time for*the trip was' seven hours tpn-minutes, or an overage ' of '80 miles peLhour, and tho highest' " altitude attained during the flight was • between 11,000 and 12,000 feet.