AVIATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 17 April 1928, Page 2

AVIATION.

(suited Press Association.—By Electric Telegraph,—Copyright.)

LONDON. April IT

Commandant Kitzmaurice lias boon promoted to Major in the Free State Air Force in recognition of the transAtlantic flight on tile Bremen. 'I lie Senate of Bremen State has refused to congratulate Kohl and Von Huenfeltl because they carried the old Imperial instead of the Republican flag. JOY IX BERLIN. BERLIN. April 13, Joy in (lermany over the Bremen’s feat is unbounded, the more so because of the bitter disappointment yesterday when it was learned all three reports of safety were premature. The radio, cinema and special editions of the newspapers had aroused the tensest anxiety and the excitement was at fever heat

when at midday the newspapers announced the landing. Nothing succeeds like success and regardless of the cold water previously thrown on the scheme, the flyers are now the heroes of the day and exuberantly hailed as a testimony to Herman courage and enterprise. and the machine as a witness of Cermanv’s technical skill.

Though leaders of Herman aviation previously viewed the venture with tacit and expressed disapproval. Professor Junkers now telegraphs his•“ proud joy and grateful admiration.” He has' even decided to baptise Lufthansas latest and largest machine “ Herman Kochi.”

STORY OF FLIGHT. NEW YORK. April 10

The “ llremen ” liicrs gii'c sin account ol their flight. After describing the early slaves, they state that when they were well advanced on the way to America, it then hcnan to snow, and there was still a hioh wind, which helped to make the weather extremely thick. Snow alternated with the sleet. They now were ready to give tip hope, especially since their benzine was runniiio low. They also were lie-in nin>j to loose all sense of direction—not even knowing whether they were jiroyressinft westward or were ttoine out towards the middle of the Atlantic. They determined, however, to continue as lone as their machine could keep aloft

n u .y then rame to the conclusion that they had reached land, but they were unable to make out any land

contours, or any terrain, and it was impossible to got tlieir bearings. Their realisation, however, that they had spanned the ocean gnve them courage. They pressed on throughout the night.

It seemed to them that, at times, their plane was standing still, or was under the control of the winds, and not of tlic engine. It was not until T.2T o’clock in the evening of Friday they were able to distinguish that they were passing over a lake in a small island, and they determined to land. Their machine being equipped with wheel gear, it threshed down upon the ice with great force, smashing through it. and slightly damaging the tail of the plane, but they themselves were uninjured.

OR EFT INO FROM ERIN.” WASHINGTON, April 10,

The Irish Free State Minister at Washington. I)r Smiddy, has received the following wireless message trom .Major Kitzmawrice ol the Hremen : •• |Jv (toil's grace, the east and west lliglif has at hist been accomplished. Am happy in the thought that it brings great credit and honour to our native land. My Dorman comrades join me

in sending you a greeting I nun Erin. Hope to reach New York in a few davs.”

The German Ambassador bore lias roicived a message, worded similarly to l bat sent. Dr Smiddy, I rum the three fliers, Kochi, Fitxmaurice and lluhcuiel.lt.

CANADIAN PLANE START’S. NFAY YORK. April IT. Two aeroplanes, which are now attempting to reach Greenley Island are reported to have been held up by bad weather, hut both of them will proceed as soon as possible.

The captain of the ice-breaker Montcalm in a message said that lie was progressing slowly, and was having considerable difficulty with the ire. Meantime, there is very little additional information concerning the fliers. The New York agent of the Hremen lias wirelessed to the fliers, asking whether they need a new propellor. as there is now some likelihood that an attempt may lit' made to send them hv aeroplane any necessary parts for the repair of their plane.

1( F RRKAKFR’S ROUGH SPIN NEW YORK. April 15

A message has been received from the ice breaker Montcalm, which is now believed to bo at Relic Isle Straits, stating: "Moving in very heavy ice. The ice is reaching to the steamer’s dock. It is impossible to say when we shall reach Greenley Island.”

Focal reports state that there is a heavy blizzard in tlie I.ubraclor region, and that aerial communication is now impossible.

CANADIAN |>LAXK AT GREENLEY OTTAWA, April Pi.

A message was received at Montreal at 111.30 o'clock from Point Amour (Labrador) which announced that the Government piano carrying the airmen Louis Cuisinier c.nc! Duke Schiller, has arrived at Greenley Island.

BREMEN NOT RE-STARTING. XFAY YORK. April 15,

The firemen Hie: s have reported that. owing to the damage done to the plane they will make no attempt to complete the flight to New York. They will insecac! wait for the Canadian ice-breaker Montcalm to reach Greenley Island.

Two American planes left Mitelie Field for Green ley Island to-night wit newspaper men and photographers. A propellor and other parts, strippe from the New York .Junker plane, wi he shipped to Canada on the railroa to-night, accompanied by repairmen. THE BREWER'S LANDING. RETAILS OF Till’. .JOURNEY. (Received this day at 8 a.m.) NF\V YORK. April lb. The arrival oj two ( anadian aviator: from rbc outside world al Grecnlet made possible the disclosure of even tin briefest facts corning the harrowin': experience of the three fliers ot the Bremen. The details thus far are terse and unadorned, but an amazing story stands nut even dearer, as a result. 11 now is believed that the Hremen was :js hours in Fog proved the enemy that nearly brought disastei. luit curiously enough the blanket of impenetrable mist wherein the Hremen lii'st plunged upon nearing Newloundlancl dispersed so quickly that the fliers congratulated themselves. Night was just coming on and they confidentially expected to be able to determine their whereabouts, since the air was clear, but again they leaped into a layer ot thick tog and were lost. Then began the trouble with the compass, since they were approaching the magnetic field that lias often proved dangerous to aviators.

XF\V YORK. April Id. Probably one of the barrenest spots in the world is Greenley with its lighthouse and half a dozen fisher folks'

huts. It seemed a welcome place despite its apparent inhospitality. Information gathered from the inhabitants who first greeted the fliers who dropped out of the air like ancient magicians but under circumstances uuimagined even in the most fanciful fiction, it is clear that the fliers were haggard and gaunt from their straining flight. It was not only the concluding phase of the flight that had tried them to nearly breaking point. The air conditions from the very start had been bad and for the greater part they had been forced to fly low. but in comparison with the last phase, they insisted the earlier part of the flight was made under the easiest of circumstances.

“ The compass began to fail,” says a message relayed to-night from Greenley. and therein lies perhaps the principal reason for their desperate physical condition, which the men showed upon arrival.

The men were not yet ready to rest. Their desire was to continue the flight and an immediate examination was made to determine the extent of the injury to the plane. They barely took time off to send radios informing the world ol their sail* arrival, before they enlisted the aid of the lighthouse keeper who has an excellent workshop, in an effort to make the plane ready for the resumption of the hop to New York.

Huenfeid. in the first messages to reach the outside world from any ol the fliers expressed apparent confidence of the ahliitv to make the necessary re-

pairs. In his statement they ” made an intermediary landing.” Word from Greenley this morning indicates that repairs are nearing completion and that the plane will soon be able to resume its flight, but Canadian aviators who arrived there last night state their machine fought its way through a continuous storm which is still unabated. A heavy easterly gale, moreover, makes it unlikely that the continuation of the Hremen flight can

begin at present. It should be mentioned that aside from the damage, to the Bremen’s tail, the propel lor is bent and the landing

jresu* broken. The lighthouse keeper, a French-Can-■ulian speaking little or no English, importuned the fliers to rest and take food The aviators later reported that they were treated with the utmost hospitality and courtesy, and given every care and attention.

An amusing touch to the situation is given hv the fact that the fliers left without any money, and Hue" told thought it necessary to obtain funds immediately. The first wireless request he made to North German Lloyd was t„ have the latter telegraph -)00 dollars. Lloyd’s agent found none of the telecrap!.' companies could transmit funds, hut after many pleas one company undertook to make an effort to telegraph the sum to the nearest station and if possible to deliver the money by dogsled, hut it is hardly likely the dq livcrv will he achieved.

SPLENDID LANDING FEAT

SAN FRANC [SCO. April lo

With a monoplane from his own iaotorv here. Vance Breeso made a sale landing a few miles beyond the city with seven passengers, after the motor and the propeller had torn loose from the frame and dropped from an altitude of twelve hundred feet. Pilot Breese was forced to glide over high power electric wires to reach a landing on a larm.

parachute temping begord

VANCOUVER, April 10

A new world’s record for successful leaps from aeronlanes was established on Sunday at Rantoul (Illinois) tramin,, field when ten parachute jumpers of the Army .Mr Corns School leaped safely from a tri-motorod sixteen passenger plane in eight seconds, at an altitude of two thousand feet.

Virginia Army Corps held the pre vioiis record with nine men.

AIR POSSIBILITIES. VANCOUVER. April 16. Dedicating two .powerful Ireacons established on Sunday night at Central and Southern California coast, Lindbergh pressed a telegaph key at Denver. Colorado, where he landed for an hour, on route to the east. W. F. Boeing, head of the' Air Transport Company, of Seattle, at the latter function, predicted that in a (short time an aeroplane passenger would lie able to telephone by radio and long distance telephone.- to any part of the I'uited State's while en route. He said the United States had four thousand aeroplanes in service and Factory orders indicated that this would ho increased pi eight thousand by tbo end of the year.

NOT CONFIRMED. YANCOI’YFR. April 10. No confirmation is available of the San Francisco report that Kingsford Smith is in Lo- Angeles making financial arrangements for bis proposed Hawaiian flight. ITALIA’S VOYAGE. BERLIN, Aprli 15. The Italia appeared in difficulties at Glatz. and asked by wireless from the observatory whether iL would recommend an emergency landing or was there better weather ahead. It was advised to make for Gieivitg. and follow the river Oder towards Seddin. where the weather was more favourable. " Ft ALIA " REACHES BALTIC. BERLIN. April l'.i. The Italia lias landed at Seddin in Romerania. after a thrilling thirty hours’ fligiit. Colonel Nobile, the Commander, was tired hut cheerful. He said that lie had had an eventful voyage in most adverse weather, especially over the Carpathian Mountains. He said lm lost bis bearings over tlie latter range, but be was set right by the Linderbcrgli Observatory wireless station. The weather improved at Gloiwitf'.. after which tlie voyage was uneventful.

A A [ERICA'S COMMERCIAL AVIATION. NF\Y YORK. April 15. According to the "Aircraft. A'eai Book. IllgS." iust issued by tlie Aero, nautical Chamber of Commerce. American commercial airplanes ||ew twelve and a-half million miles last year, and carried half a million pasciigers. and two tend a-half million pounds of freight, thus ea-ily winning tlie Commercial Aviation Leadership.

Git FAT AIRMANS FUNERAL. ROME. April RL Three hundred thousand people attended the funeral of the Italian aviator. Captain Del f'retu. who accompanied the Marche.se Do Pinedo in his Australian flight, and who was killed tit Brace ia no.