AIR FLYING.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 March 1920, Page 2

AIR FLYING.

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) PARER’S FLIGHT. DELHI, March 14. Parer and Macintosh, describing their long flight across the Syrian Desort, which was declared impossible by aviators in England, said they left Ramies for Bagdad on the 27th, and crossed Jordan at a height of 4000 feet. North of the Dead Sea they struck head winds and soon flying became difficult. They crossed a long stretch of laval formation extending for about 100 miles, and flew for six hours without seeing habitation or signs of living beings. The carburettor flooded necessitating a forced landing in the desert. After strenuous work it was rtpaired, but later thty were forced again to land in the desert. They were extreme hazy as to their location, having landed in a large stretch of water. They stayed the night and early next morning tlfey were disturbed by Arabs, who told them that they' had landed on the shores of Lake Habbanijah, not far from Bagdad.' Their main anxiety was whether their petrol would hold out. They transferred a few pints to the gravity tank and rose again. The clouds were low and it was raining. The Euphrates was sighted and soon Bagdad was visible. They found the aerordome without difficulty. At the moment of landing they had one and a-half pints of petrol, not sufficient to circle over the aerodrome. Their flying time in crossing the desert was eight hours, ten minutes.

ARRIVED AT CALCUTTA. DELHI, March 14. Parer and Macintosh have arrived at Calcutta.