SAFETY FIRST

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 24 November 1927, Page 5

SAFETY FIRST

GILES’ SHORT FLIGHT ANOTHER START LATER. WEATHER PERMITTING., [By Cable — Press Assn. — Copyright.] Captain Giles, who was reported yesterday to have made an excellent start from ’Frisco on his flight to Honolulu and New Zealand ,has returned to South Salifornia, declaring that when 300 miles out he ran into squalls and air pockets which turned his machine over. He regained control and returning made a safe landing. (Received 24, 9.20 a.m.) San Francisco, Nov. 23. Giles is expected to return here today by automobile. He notified his backers by telephone that the ’plane was unsaie for flying and he would have to. make repairs before he could bring itlrere for another take-oil ior Honolulu. Captain Peterson refused to comment on the possibility of another attempted flight until Giles’ arrival. Captain Peterson declared it depended entirely on the extent of the damage to the 'plane. Giles told the attendants at the nearest ranch that he would go to San Francisco to procure the necessary materials to repair the 'plane and then fly it to San Francisco and make another attempt as soon as the weather permitted.—(A. and N.Z.)

“SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE.” conditionsTteported by GILES.. (Received 24, 11.35 a.m.) San Francisco, Nov. 23. The violent weather conditions reported by Giles were “Simply impossible and it is unreasonable to think they could have existed,” declared the United States Weather Bureau officials to-day, aciding that the ships scattered along the route reported calm seas and light winds. Answering the alleged statement by Giles that a wrong forecast was given him, Major E. H. Bowie, chief forecaster, replied: “We have made no forecast for Giles since last Saturday, at which time we told Captain Paterson, the flight manager, that wo must decline to give the expedition further forecasts because neither he nor Giles seemed inclined to play the game with us. Last Saturday 'Giles bopped off against our advice.”—(A. and N.Z.) GILES’ NARRATIVE. San Francisco, Nov. 22. Telephoning to the “San Francisco Examiner,” Giles said he had flown 500 miles towards Honolulu when his machine became quite beyond control and went completely “haywire,” spinning into a rain drenched air pocket, and finally turned upside down, scattering charts, food and instruments into the ocean. Then, with a magnificent exhibition of airmanship, Giles turned the damaged ’plane right side up and, making a wild guess as to direction, turned her roaring back into the mainland, making a safe landin gone mile south of the Hearst ranch.

“I never expected to make it,” said Giles. "My centre section bracing wires had snapped. I had dumped my main gas tanks to lighten the strain on the broken ’plane and the chances were just about zero, but luck stayed with me and I hit the coast 60 miles north of where f landed. 1 had to keep the ship in the air all that distance before I finally found a landing place." When asked what he planned to do now, Giles replied: “Why, I am going to try again. 1 will fix tho ship, fly her back to San Francisco and then as soon as the moon is at full and new charts are obtained I will be off again. I have started to fly to Australia and, by George, I am going to do it.”SURVIVED BY SHEEREST LUCK. Over the telephone Giles sounded breathless and seemed to be trembling, signs of nervousness remaining in his voice after his harrowing experience, which, perhaps, was one of the most terrifying any aviator has ever undergone. Continuing his comments, Giles said: "The weather was fine until I got about 300 miles out, when it started getting bad. It was cloudy, with rain squalls, and I began to feel those air pockets they have out there over the Pacific, the same things that must have spelled ‘curtain’ for Frost, Erwin, Pedlar and Miss Doran. I figured I could get through, but my luck was out, or maybe it is in. I ran into utterly foul weather 480 miles out. The clouds were very thick and low and there were incessant rain squalls. There was not much wind, but the pockets were awful. “One thing more: I think my experience solves definitely the mystery as to what happened to the Dole racers. I had a biplane and it was only by the sheerest luck that 1 survived what I went through. A monoplane is much less stable than a biplane, and a monoplane would not have had a chance in the weather that turned me over. Y T ou can see what must have happened to them.” NO STORMS OR DISTURBANCES. Twelve hours after the hop-off no word of Giles being sighted had come to San Francisco. The freighter Dewey, 200 miles out, and’ the liner Manoa, 275 miles out. reported that the ’plane had not been seen at the time it was scheduled to pass their positions. Both vessels reported that the flying conditions were ideal over the Pacific, but stated that there was a possibility low cloudbanks obscured the ’plane. Weather bureau officials to-night stated that there were no storms or disturbances over the Pacific route. Paterson had received no word of the forced landing in Southern California and said he could not understand how Giles could possibly have reached 250 pules south of San Francisco.— (A .and N.Z.)