THE AIR RACE TO AUSTRALIA

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 9

THE AIR RACE TO AUSTRALIA

LARKIN-SOPWITH MACHINE TO START

SUCCESSFUL TESTS

By Telegraph—Press Association. —Copyright '< tHec." October 17, 7.1") p!iii.) " ' London, October 16. The departure of the LarkimSopwith ; aeroplane for Australia is definitely fixed -' lor 10 o'clock on Monday"' inorning. Searching. tests were carried out„toKlay; and reveal, tlie fact; that the-miicliijjo exceeiis the highest expectations. It J | travelled fully loaded at the rate of one ; hundred ami seven miles per hour at a, j lieiu'ht of six thousand feet, on.• it petrol i consumption of 13 gallons, being, two gal- ; lons under the estimate. This.increases the range to sixteen hundred miles, which ! • is much more than that which.was-hoped j for.—Aus.-N./j.,, Cable -Assn. . \ • ', ' FLVING HINTS FROM THE:AIR j •v- ... MINISTER | A DimCITLT AND TJmNG ,■ 1 { -"■ EXPLOIT. '■- . j .. ; (i!ei\ October. li, 0.-10 «'.».) j London, October IG. . ; ■-The Air. Ministry views'- Uio last- lap : of the Australian (light, from .'Bandojig i to Danri'n, following upon a fcir thousand miles, journey as comparable in severity ti> the t'r'ans-Allantio -flight. As • ] Jingadier-Geiieriil Jioi ton (R.'A.F.) lias x ! reported'that it was highly desirable that s aerodromes. should be constructed at ap- \ proximate of .four hundred ' -miles, before flying was permitted east- ! ■ward of Delhi, all competitors, havo been ; wr.rned that this part of the j largely unready. The competitors, how- i j.cver, choose to: make the attempt inline- I diately-, rather than.-.wait-for. a year. -j The Ministry has also advised competi- . ] tors far arrange to convert their ma- ! chines into, seaplanes at Calcutta. j Although the' -Air- Ministry suggested i a certain .irouto as the best according to j their- information, tho -Aero Club has ; decided ■ not to compel competitors to ,'■! 'adhere,-to it .beyond stimulating ,tha.t v' ij they iiii.mt ntop at Singapore, which will be the only control station. The. Min- j ' istry-pointed out that though tho land- . .' iiigs were generally good between Alftukir j ■and Karachi, it is possible, that the on- I .friendliness of tlio .inhabitants -and tyiort- ' iige',of water wil! have, to be contended with in event of a forced landing. j Brigadier-General Borton considers that . j at least three-quarters of the section be- j tween Calcutta and Australia, offers j slight chance o{, successful emergency j landings. He especially warns aviators j against landing on the seashore or paddy- ' j | fields.—Aus.-N.Z. CaKo Assn. ■'j NOTESOnnfVENTURE j ':■? , " - ■ •- N ', i ■ General Boriou and Captain Ross j Smith, who returned recently from the 'Dutch East, Indies'(where thejHrad'-bcen . i surveying tlio.air route.to Australia)., de- ! clave that/the difficulties are uniiuagin- . j able to "anybody who lias not covered the >■! route beforehand/ A complete txamina- .• ' tion of ..the coast-lines was mado from ' India to Port Darwin aboard tho Indian j Marine steamer Min to. Numerous land- j nig places were revealed, but ,ili most . J Instances apparently ideal landing/places, i which'from the air would resemble lniga - \ aerodromes, were simply grass-covered: i coral .rock, a sure lure for airmenin diffi- 1 culties. The.-last stage of 1500 miles j from Baiidong (on tho west coast of ; Java) renders petrol the most important ; j consideration, as a descent '.would.' mean * an eleveuth-nour failure. "I.: tliink," ) says .Captain Rqss. Smith, ."that, if it. is ( made- this year the flight wili 'easily " bo (he biggest task'undertaken'-to date." ; The coasts of Bui-ma and Singapore wera closcNy examined. • They thickly ! covered with juuglo and Were often sw'ftmpy near 1 the sea.'-'-'Hatural landing ])laces were iiivisible, "and machines coining, down would certainly crash. The islands', boyoiid Java .were, rocky and v 1 thickly with undergrowth. A pilot - undertaking this .section of the flight must be tremendously skilful. The Dutch" aiitliofities at''Java wero most helpful, and aro eagerly 'anticipating tho flighty as they recognised its usefulncsn to tliein as'well as to Australia. The JJjiU'h expressed, llioiv' willingness- to I fit', up a wireless station, and provido. boats lo pick up the aviators, tieneral J Borton points out that tho flight involves \ i at least 120 hours', and 'perhaps -I.W-heurs, actual flying. A' grievous strain would .thus-.bci involved for both pilot and enRiric, arid it would bo practically impos- j siblp for a single pilot and _ a single •,. j engine to cover tiie route' .in'- 30 days. ; Three aerodromes aro available beyond ~ India. Those at liangoou and Singapore are 'both situated' on tret-surrounded | racecourses, where' no airman cwMd safe- ! ly descend without previously teeing them ! from the ground. ißandoug possesses a'.. ! real aerodrome' and (other advantages,-. If the Air Ministry/ can bo persuaded 'to. | join the Dutch in constructing two or three small aerodromes, the success 6f/' the flight would be belter assured. This would involve a delay of three months. j - Good ■ meteorological conditions endurs i "to the/ end of February, but "north- i easterlies blow then all tho way,' says General Borton. , j Captain G. C. Matthews, A.P.C., who to.- fly the Larkin-Sopwith machioe, was a sergeant in the Australian Light ' .Horse'.for twelve months, and was com- ' missioned on Gallip&li, He then trans- I ierred- to: the Australian Camel Corps, aiid later joined the Australian Flying "Cofps iirEgy'pt." He 'waij sent-to-Jing- ; land, whero he took his "wings." He then went overseas witit the 'first Australian Plying, Squadron:to leavo England, "and gained' his captaincy in France. On returning to* England he • was made ~ Wing Examining ,-"Officer of the Australian Flying Corps," arid, was passed out of the Gosport School of Special Flying as aii'Al pilot. : Before the war he was a. navigation officer in the eiuuloj' of Howard Smith, Limited, and mm extra- master's certificate. In i view of,-thesa,qualifications be was lent to the Aerial Navigation School as. an ! instructor. After tlie armistice he joined the ,Larkin-Sopwith! Aviation >Co. of ' Australasia, Ltd., and went through a ; course at the Sopwith Aviation Co.'s fac- \ tory at Kingston-on-Thames. Since.thon •lie-has been . standing bv in England pending the building-of'his "nincliiny to : take'part in; tho Australian-flight.-He . j is being accompanied on his night by Sergeant Kay, late of No. 3 Australian ■ sSquailroii, wJio'' hiis •' undnrgone-, ough course of training withMhq, Soils- • i .lioYce.Co. r-CaptninMattliews'6-i«aohino '.is fitted .wil;h..-a.!3r5 Ir.p. gine and will carry petrol' forever 1000 miles-non-stop flight... The iiiachine is , , Jil.ted' only. 'as it- tbe 'ffnh's. policy-to build this-type of mach'iuo in prefei'encfe'to liiulti-engined machines. -The conditions goveAiing tho t, ■ •flight lay dowil that it hiust be-complet-ed within one month on a. British-made machine'. A change of engines eji route is .permissible. ■:.T'he-Ptoyal-.-Aero- Club, i Londoli, which is in charge of the ar-rangenients--for'the flight; l is' placing aii ' '! ■opieial at .Singapore tq-check the. seal 'of (lie niachiiie and 'the"pilots-creden-tials. ' ■ : race: ' x . . HAD LUCK. FOK MAYNAIUI.... 05ec.;.October 17,. 7.15 : >p.m.) .Washington,. Octo'ljcr lii. ~ Omaha message states tliat i'ii landing -Maj.'nard' broke the erankrsliaft'of his, ; machine. Tf-another aeroplane .<wn bo found within the time limit lie'will be 1 allowed to continue bis "flight.—Aus.- i NX