TASMAN FLYERS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 September 1928, Page 6

TASMAN FLYERS

i' * • • ’ • A BAD OUTLOOK. FOR RETURN JOURNEY. (By Telegraph—Press Association)

- BLENriEI]^,. September 25. Prior to his departure for Christ church' this afternoon, Squadron Lead er Ivi ngsfprd. Smi jli received the 1 following letter from'Dr Kicfson,, Director of: the Government* Metedroipgical Office, in reference to the weather; conditions likely to be encountered on the retuni, flight across the 1 Tasman 'Sea? to Aus tralia. Inter, alia, Dr Kid son says : “It, does not* seem to' have been sufficiently realised that the" conditions ‘ linger which you crossed, though not the ivorst that might ! be encountered, were unusually bad. An- important fact re- 1 suits, therefore. With; machines, pro. perly designed for tlie purpose, the flight, can be, made under comniei cial conditions almost, in all weathers. regard to the return journey, the time . dr the yeqr' is,' as you, know, a vejT had one ,for a Westward flight. What you . want, of. course, in order to. get favourable or light winds and depenl weather all the’way across'is' a large anti-cyclone over the Central or .South.qrn, Tasman Sea. At.this tijne of tip- - yeaiy you are not likely to get one such for a "month. '' ‘ The' 'anti-cyclones arc now nearly all centred far noith, and move fast. The wedges which the' send down into the Tasmap are,usua(lA narrow. ' Therefore you‘are almost certain, to have an average headwind ovei the whole trip'of fair strength, Fly in? west,,' you will be trayellifig through '2OOO 'milesof weather, because % pressure system, will advance eastward t a big distance during' the flight! Consequently, you are pretty sure tq be in part of a ..depression at some stage. You would be lucky therefore, if your aVerage. headwind jyas less ■ than 15 miles per hour. ' it-.might be 20 or 25 if you strike a bad patch. Coming over, yob could scarcely have had less than 30. miles per hpur behind you, and there is.a danger that ' you might get caught similarly on the way back. For ' litstawce if you strike 40 miles per hour, over a 500 miles stretch, you would lose nearly 4£ hours, with an air speed df 90! mile's per.lipufl agree with what the Prime Minister saidj in advising you not. to take M any* unnecessary’ risks. good conditions occur, it might be well, to abandon tlie return flight, or, if'you are not. making, good progress, and if thq. ieports ahead received during the flight ‘are .adverse; it might be wisp to turn bac]i. : : The : best We will" be able to <F for -you pfo|>ablygwill be to cHance a time -wflen-an anti-cyclone is just coming on to Eastern Australia, so that you will fly through it;on yojji*- way. Squadron-Leader Kingsford .Smith said , that the letter contained' a grea 4 , deal of., yaluaßle information; and the advice given by Dr fcdso-n would be extremely 'useful'in' the matter deiC.iding on the course to be followed on leaving New Zealand for Australia.''

RETURN TO WIGRAM. •YfAy ' - ONE PLANE FORCED TO DESCEND. ANXIETY ABOUT RETURN FLIGHT CHRISTCHURCH, September 25. Tlie‘fliers’ party‘arrived at the aerodrome at 4.30 fhis evening, but nof Avithout mishap. Capt. Findlay, With Litchfield as passenger, had to make a forced landing' near the .Conway. River, one hundred miles from Christ church, owing, it is' believed, to- trouble with the petrol feed. He made a saf landing. The other two planes circled over the spot until Captain Findlay and Litchfield waved,' signalling “A right:”'

A motor-car left Ayigram Aerodrome at once with a repair party. Captain Findlay may fly home to-morrow- or come down by motor-car. Kingsford Smith arrived with onh sufficient petrol for a few minutes fly ' vjifgf, owing, doiiibtless, to the heavy demand in fuel made by the head wind. The fliers are undecided whether to go to-morrow, and a decision will he delayed until Captain Findlay returns. . Smith and Ulm, since they have beer by Dr Kidson, Meteorologist that their best chance of a safe fligV across will he' to choose a period be tween sjtorms,. since no long period o r iv quiet-weather can be expected at thi? season of the year, are anxious about the return; flight to Australia. Dr . sou urges them to get the Southern Cross to Blenheim within a few days in readiness, toi hop off. In view of, . this adyice, they fear further storm •.delays in the south. ' tTlm, in an, interview- to-night, enthusiastic about, the reception they Fad everywhere, and was full of prjii.se for 1 the enthusiastic groups wh" had formed Aero Clubs, especially the Blenheim Aero, Club. The air conditions in New, Zealand, he tlnnks, al- : ways will he rougher than in Australia, because the country is more mountainous, bht there is no reason wily f'there should not be regular flying here. UUhri is especially pleased with the temvporary flying field at Blenheim, where • an,excellent runway has been prepared. He declares it is the best he has seen Aanywhere, being six thousand feet in > length-and-. 3000'feet across.

THE AIRMEN. PREPARATIONS FOR RETURN. SEND-OFFS TO BE BROADCAST. Two important broadcasts from 3YA will, take place in connection with the Southern Cross as follows : (1) Departure from Christchurch for Blenheim, on Friday. (2) Departure from Blenheim and flight to Australia, on Sunday. The final take-off of the Southern Cress on her return journey to Australia will be from Blenheim. A great crowd is expected to congregate at the aerodrome for the occasion; Special excursion trips will, be run between. •Wellington find’ Picton. While the broadcast of the departure from Blenheim will be the more important event the departure of the Southern Cres* from Christchurch will be a notable event. It HvilF be handled by 3YA. ' Until the Southern Cross has landed in Australia the New Zealand stations will be on the air broadcasting all avail • able news of how the aeroplane is faring in her flight. LAND LINE FROM, BLENHEIM. All : New Zealand stations will rebroadcast from Wellington the account of the ‘take-off from Blenheim on tlie return fjigbt'to* Australia. A' land line will be'used, from, Blenheim northward r to connect with the cable across Cook Strait, and ''the' happenings "at Blenheim will be related to Wellington F 2YA’s editor-announcer (Mr J. Balk 2Y T A’s description will be re-broadcast by 3YA. While the Southern Cross is makiV its .return flight across the Tasman arrangements for progress reports will hp made on lines similar to those ado” ed when the monoplane left Sydney.

It - is probable that at least £SOO w : ’ be presented' to Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Fligbt-Lieuten iht TTlm by the citizens ’ off Chris’ church.

A RISKY FLIGHT- - -■! . - . • \ JOURNEY FROM BLENHEIM. CHRISTCHURCH, September 26. s In order tbat the arrangements made on their behalf should not be unduly the Tasman fliers and Captains Findlay and Buckley, undertook a very real risk' when they made the flight I'rom Blenheim to Christchurch yesterday. 1 The weather conditions which caused ' postponement in trie' morning were still all against them in the afternoon, and when they hopped off it was with a ful knowledge that they were asking the machines to undertake the maximum o r which they were capable. Tfie machines are capable of; remaining bin the. air for approximately tw and a-half hours and the landing at , Wigram Aerodrome was made in slightly 'over that time. The machines were virtually "at their last drop pf petre and between three and seven minutes - longer would have suffered lo make ; forced landing imperative.

v It was a task that the , macin'lm would not be put to under ordinary conditions ah'd one which was urn trken only ouLof consideration for the nnblic. • \

It was particularly unfortunate, under these circumstances, that Captain Findlay should have, had* to lan' 1 as a' result of a minor irregularity, quite unconnected the ordinary hazards o ! f the trip, and but for his bad luck in this 'respect, it is certain that all three machines would have completed in triumph, what is undoubtedly one of the most notable flights undertaken by the machines of the New Zealand Air Forces.

The conditions were difficult all the way. Until a defect in liis engine forced him to land, Captain Findlay acted as pathfinder, testing currents high and low to find the best stratum.

CAPTAIN FINDLAY ARRIVES. CHRISTCHURCH, Sept, 26. Captain Findlay left Conway at 9.10, and arrived at Christchurch safely at 10.15. NOT GOING SOUTH TO-DAY. CHRISTCHURCH, Sep. 26. The Tasimari fliers have decided not to~go south to-day. To-morrow’s plans nre now being considered. The weather is v'ery bad.