WHALER’S ’PLANE ALOFT

Hokitika Guardian, 16 October 1929, Page 8

WHALER’S ’PLANE ALOFT

WELLINGTON, Oct. 12

Early yesterday morning the wings of the trim Moth seaplane resting amid ships on the Norwegian ship Kosmos were folded in close to the fuselage, and she was carried on the shoulders Of several men to the seaward side of the vessel, where the pilot, Mr. Leij Lier, opened out the wing and “trimmed ship” A neat wireless set of “home-made” construction was fitted into the observer’s cockpit, and a powerful 230-volt' battery was installed in the luggage compartment in rear of the pilot’s seat. After a couple of short test flights round the harhour and over the city, in which both machine and apparatus were found to be functioning perfectly, Mr Lier went up solo and was soon lost to view over the western hills. He was away for about an hour, during which time he crossed Cook Strait at an altitude of 1000 feet, flying over the Sounds and returning to pass over Rongotai areodrome.

Soaring high over the Orongorongos he looked down on the Wairarapa Lake and returned about 1.30 p.m., to glide silently in from a high altitude and settle mice more beside the ship. After further flying above the city the ’plane ‘was towed in, lifted from the water, and stowed on the port side of the bows, where it will remain during the voyage to the Antarctic, as the prevailing winds expected will be nor’wester s.

IN CONSTANT TOUCH

During the whole of the flight the pilot was in constant radio contact with the Kosmos, the tiny installation carried being extremely powerful, and capable when used on the ship’s large aerial, of communication with other vessels over at least 400 ipiles. When one realises the part which this tiny ’plane will be called upon to play in the enterprise, possibly cruising a hundred miles from the ship in search of a school of whales, or traversing a lead through the ice to discover wither the passage goes—the value of the radio instrument will be fully apparent. This is probably the firs£ time a light ’plane so equipped has been flown in the Dominion.

VALUE OF SEAPLANE

Mr Lier considers that (from the little he has seen of New Zealand, taking into consideration the chain of coastal towns and the hilly nature oi the inland country (he did not mention Rongotai ajirpo.rt qharges), the best type of ’plane for this Dominion would undoubtedly be the seaplane. His own little cream Gipsy Moth is equipped with tree types of.landing gear, wheels floats; and skis for alighting on the ice With the latter little more difficulty is experienced than in making an ordinary landing or take-off on land. The Kosmos’ 1 pilot has had a wide and varied experience ,of “spotting” on the fishing grounds of the Northern Hemisphere and the machine he flew yesterday (an exhibit in the recent Aero Exhibition at Home and about the last in Moth construction) he hi'

self piloted from Stag Lane Aerodrome (England) to its destination in Norway.