AVIATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 September 1927, Page 2

AVIATION.

(Australian Press Association & Sun,

PRINCESS FLYING ATLANTIC. LONDON, Aug. 31. H Hamilton’s 'flight is Successful Levine says ho will abandon his Atlantic flight and will attempt a. long distance endurance record flight eastwards. LONDON. Aug. 31. Hamilton and Alinebin accompanied by Princess Lowenstein Wertseimer have commenced their flight to Canada. • LEVINE’S LUCKY FLIGHT. LONDON, Aug. 30. Flying circles here are full of admiration at the whimsical American millionaire Levine, who made such a lucky offhand lone flight from Paris. Levine lias appointed Captain Hinchlifle as pilot for a return trip across tho Atlantic. He made the statement that he would fly the Atlantic both ways, but Paris hints that he may yet bo checked. AUs Levine, after paying Levine’s French pilot, Drouhin, £BOO, in satisfaction of his claims for the breach of contract, went full speed to London in an attempt to persuade her husband not to venture a. return flight, but Levine is nnlikelv tn bo dissuaded if the weather rejwrts forecast a reasonable chance. He is inundated with offers to pilot his machine, and thinks the English good sports. Hinchliffe is one of the crack, pilots of Britain, . and has been flying since 1913. He lost an eye in air combat in the war. Levine contravened countless international flying laws. He was uncertificated, did not pay Customs dues, had not. a ’passport. These points have been reported to the French Government. While making an actual test flight at T«e Bourgct lie was within the law, hut as soon as he crossed the three mile boundary lie was an offender, and hence tlm attempted chase by a French military plane. Again, he left Paris without a log hook and clearance papers, and omitted to pass the Customs. Continuing his lawless journey to England, lie. proceeded tobreak the law wholesale. His machine was not equipped with wireless, and was required to circle the coast station at a sufficiently low altitude to he recognised. He landed in Enghi’ without a passport. AtVcs I.evine arrived from Paris, bringing her Imsb a ml’s hat, which he left behind, thrilled hv his exploit. She says: “Heaven knows how he did it. Nobody else does. T think no one lias had such a hectic life as I since Charles decided to become an airman. Fancy seeing your husband stroll for a walk in the morning, and then in ilie afternoon hear him call on the telephone: “Hullo. I’m in London. Come right over.”

NEARLY 43,000 [FEET UP. PARIS. Aug. 30. The airman, Callizo, gives a graphic description of liis agony at the altitude of his record flight, namely 42,000 feet. Ho says that at the height of thirty [thousand feet, the sky is so blue that the glare is insupportable, and the sense of utter isolation is appalling. His machine was then vibrating terribly. It was a time when the least error would be fatal. Yet ho barely had the strength to avoid a mistake. His ears were buzzing and his arms and legs were prickling. He know the sign was that of approaching paralysis. The machine seemed to be dreamlike, and to he balancing itself. He never heard the engine. When at least, be began to descend, it was getting dark. It was not til! lie was down at sixteen thousand feet again, that he realised he was safe. Then, when only half unconscious, he mechanically aimed for Le Bourget, and he landed anyhow. It was the luckiest thing for him to escape with his life.

The airman concluded that he now understands why the Everest expedition had failed.