Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 29 January 1930, Page 4

Another notable solo flight is on record—and this time by a, New Zealander. In some nineteen days a lone flyer has travelled from England to Australia without serious mishap.. Difficulties lie has had, and no doubt a very trying time, for he was not an experienced man of the air; but he surmounted the trials and ’.roubles, and landed safe and well in Australia. Despite an enforced delay of eighteen days, spent at Tripoli, while his ’plane was being^repaired, having been damaged in a forced landing made in a fog, Mr F. C Chichester, the young “Wellington pilot, has made excellent progress on the days he has actually been flying. Casually remrking, “I am off to Australia,” Mr Chichseter left on his flight., from Croydon in the early hours of . the. morning of December 20th. He arrived at Lyons on the same day, and set- out again for Catania, Sicily, which was reached the next day. It was on the following hop to Homs, Syria, that the unfortunate delay occurred. It was at first doubtful whether Mr Chichester would continue his flight, but the arrival of a new propeller from England, enabled him to make a fresh start. Accordingly, on the morning of January 9th. he set out again, his destination l.’ping Bangazi. It was seven days before anything more was heard of him and by that time ho had arrived at Karachi, whence lie set out for, and arrived at Calcutta on January 17th, leaving again for Rangoon, where be ariived the same day. By January 18th. Mr Chichester was at Victoria Point, and the next day saw him at Singapore. Batavia was reached on the following day. Two days later the airman was in Java. Bad weather here delayed him, and he was onN able to make a short flight from Batavia to Souvabaya. His next stopping pla'e was Buna, Dutch Indies, whence he was to set out on his last hop to Australia to arrive at Darwin on Friday. Mr Chichester will have thus taken nineteen da vs on his; flight, and joins the select band of airmen who have made the long journev between England and Australia. Although Mr Chichester did not break Bert Hinkler’s record for the flight a task which he originally intended to accomplish, he shares with the Australian the distinction of making the journey solo.

That in itself is a big task, and the fact that Chichester is comparatively a novice in the art of Hying adds considerably to the credit of his flight.