AVIATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 18 July 1927, Page 3

AVIATION.

flyers i:\nnrr. BY TIiI.F.GItAI’H—PItESS ASSN., COI’YKIGIIT. HONOLULU. July IT. The monoplane. City oi Oakland, crushed on Molokai Island at ff.IT this morning, Honolulu time, owing to fuel shortage. The flyers were unhurt.

It ECKLKSS DEVILS OF AIR. LONDON, July Id

Light is thrown on the cause ol Air Force casualties hy Lord Thomson, ex-Air Minister, in a speech at Guildford. He emphasised that civil flying was far safer than walking the streets of London. ft is in the military that flying risks are taken, and accidents occur. Young fellows have to he trained to do feats no commercial 7>i lot is called on to perform. The Air Force gets men between the ages of Id and Hi. They are the most high spirited, reckless young devils, who ever stepped. They would break their necks on the road il they did not in aeroplanes. 'I he more high spirted and more reckless a hoy •is, the greater asset is he to the nation if we have to undertake air fighting. If the present machines were fully used, we could in about ten ’lmps reach the utter most part of Hie Dominions in about sixteen days. Think what that- means to the people of the hack blocks of Australia and New Zealand, and bow it would strengthen the ties of kinship.

WHOLE FLIGHT IN A FOG. HONOLULU, July Id. It now turns out that, though Smith and Bronte feared that they would he compelled to fund at sen. they had sufficient fuel to continue their flight so as to make a landing at Molokai Island. The plane crashed into a tree, hut the fliers were not hurt. They were brought on in army pjanes, and arrived in Wheeler field, 2d miles distant, this (Friday) morning. The men report that they Hew all the way in fog,- hut their wireless worked perfectly, except for a short period before their arrival, when the receiving set failed.

Ship and shore stations here and on the United States Coast received their signals from the start of the llight to near the finish. They reached Molokai at G. 5 o’clock on Saturday moi ning'j.' Australian time.

STORY OF FLIGHT. PKCU LIAR HI FFI(’ UI .TIES. HONOLULU, July IG. Smith and Jlrontc, on their arrival here, told an interesting story of the peculiar difficulties which they met with during their flight through the fog, and also through constant mirages of land, showing distinct images of farm houses, which proved a peculiar torment, and failure of their automatic petrol feed pump compelled them to manipulate the hand pump for ninny hours, and a derangement of their petrol indicator made them fear that their petrol was depleted. '["hereupon they sent out the calls for help, and descended towards the surface, and just when near enough to see the water when {lie first sight of the ocean they had had since they started, the plane suddenly spurted upwards, and they saw the island of Molokai. Then they crashed into some trees. An examination of the petrol tank disclosed that the last drop of oil had been consumed at the landing.

LUCKY TO GET THEBE. HONOLULU. July Hi

The aviator Smith, explained that the gasolene been me exhausted just as they reached Molokai Island. He snid:-rf‘ We sent an appeal for assistance earlier in the day, because it appeared at. that time that our gasolene supply might give out and we were taking no chances.