AIR FLYING.

Hokitika Guardian, 24 November 1919, Page 3

AIR FLYING.

I AUSTRALIAN FLIGHT. j ! (By Electric Telegraph—Copyright i J LONDON, Nov. 20. ] The Blackburn aeroplane “Kangaroo” flew from the Broughton Aero- J drome near Hull ,and arrived at Houn- ‘ slow Heath, London, in 2J hours, in. readiness to start for Australia on Thursday. Lieut. V. Rendle who piloted he aero- < plane, considers the test thoroughly sa- ] tisfactory. Rendle is the son of a Brisbane doc- . tor. He served as a pilot in the Flying Corps in France. Captain Wilkins is in command and ( navigates. He was awarded the Military Cross, with a bar, for daring work as Australian official photographer. He - was a correspondent with the Turkish c Army in the last Balkan War, and was second in command in Stefanson’s Arctic Expedition. Captain Wilkins intends to go to the ! , Antarctic with Cope’s Expedition in '1920. Lieut. D. R. Williams, formerly In- ■ ■ structor at Richmond Flying School, ] goes as second pilot, and Lieut. G. H. Rotts whose father is Principal at the J Haweksbury Agricultural College, near Sydney, goes as mechanic. He was for- / merly a member of the Third Australian i Flying Sqnadron. “Kangaroos,’ during the war were developed for long range bombing, and also did good service on the East Coast in patrolling for submarines. The • i machines were later used for the carriage of mails. They were fitted with ] twin Rolls Royce-Falcon engines. i Captain Wilkins in dispensing -with ! wirelesß owing to its weight. The route will be: Across France to - Malta to the African coast; thence to Singapore and Port Darwin. They pro--1 pose going thence down to Brisbane, Syd- ' ney and Melbourne. • The machine is armed almost like a • war machine. All the crew are carrying rifles. AUSTRALIAN ATTITUDE, (Received this day at 8 a.m.) LONDON, Nov. 20. In view of the verdict at the Coroner’s inquest, Australian headquarters is ' not participating in the investigation 1 of the Surbiton disaster, but has reB quested the Air Ministry to supply a ’ complete report. y ® ROSS-SMITH’S FLIGHT. - i BRISBANE This Day. The “Sun.’s” supecial cable from » Ross- Smith states that after leaving iCairo, he flew along the Coast to Gala and thence inland across the Sea of Galillea to Damascus; thence to Fadmar and across the desert to Abukaniel and followed the Euphrates, and thence d via Bagdad to Kut, the Garden of Eden to Basra. The weather till the last d day was blowing and rainy, which milile tated against good flying, y ■ -