PACIFIC AIR SURVEY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20099, 20 November 1939, Page 10

PACIFIC AIR SURVEY

NEW SOUTHERN ROUTE START BY CLIPPER HOP TO HONOLULU (l’er Press Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. The Pan-American Airways Honolulu Clipper, a sister ship lo the California Clipper, which visited Auckland several months ago, left San Francisco yesterday on the second survey flight over the new South Pacific air route to Auckland.

Although her departure was delayed a day owing to unfavourable weather, her schedule has been altered to enable her to reach Auckland on Thursday as originally planned. This will be oossible by omitting the proposed lull-day slop at Canton Island and making merely a routine overnight call.

According to advice received by Mr. D. Walker, the base manager for the company at Auckland, the Clipper left Treasure Island, San Francisco, at 12.55 p.m.. Auckland time, on the 2440 mile to Honolulu. Having regard to the Clipper’s petrol load and other factors Mr. Walker estimated that she would reach Honolulu in about 17 hours 20 minutes, or shortly after 6 o’clock this morning, Auckland time.

The Clipper is then scheduled to fly to Canton Island on Tuesday, to Noumea on Wednesday and to Auckland on Thursday, reaching the city at about 3.30 o’clock in the afternoon. The Clipper is manned by a crew of 11, but the company’s headquarters in Auckland has not yet been provided with a list of their names. There are five of the company’s personnel as passengers, two of whom are Messrs. George Angus, the superintendent of communications for the Pacific division, and Mr. Harold Gatty, the company’s New Zealand representative.

As the Honolulu Clipper is making a survey flight she is carrying no mails or cargo, nor will she pick up any at Auckland. After a day’s stay in Auckland she will leave on her return journey next Saturday.