AVIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 19 May 1930, Page 5

AVIATION

AMY JOHNSON'S PROGRESS,

[United Press Association—By Klectr: Telegraph.—Copyright.]

SINGAPORE, May 18 Amy Johnson has arrived. SYDNEY, May 18,

There is still some doubt whether Amy .Johnson is coming to Sydney from Darwin. She cabled to friends saying she will make her decision

■w'ueu she reaches Darwin. Arrangements for her reception at S.ydnev and Melbourne .however, are proceeding actively.

Messages of congratulation and goodwill have been cabled to her Lv prominent women’s organisations of Australia. The Federal Government and aviation authorities will be prominently identified in the 1 welcome at Darwin. Six women aviators at Sydney will form, the aerial escort for Miss Johnson,, some distance out of this city.

START OF AIR, FLY

(Received this day at 9.25 a.m.)

LONDON, May 18,

Amy Johnson’s eighteen-year-old sister Molly, tells the “Sunday Express” how Amy, bored with work in a solicitor’s office, thought she would like to be an aeroplane saleswoman. Sfie gained a certificate as a 'ground engineer, went home, called a family conference, produced ft map, put her finger on Australia and said: "I want to fly there. lam going to fly there.”

Eventually her father surrendered and bought the machine Amy is now using, ! , 1

UNABLE TO BEAT HINKLER

(Received ibis dnv at 9.40 a.m.) ■ SINGAPORE, May 18

Amy Johnson made a perfect landing, having covered 460 miles in six hours. She says it is now quite impossible to beat the record. I hope to reach Australia- in two and a half days, but if there is a head wind it may (be three or three and a half. She would have beaten Hinkler b> two days, barring the accident at Rangoon. She is now one day behind, owing to taking two days from Bangkok to Singapore; She expected to cover that - thousand miles in one day; but head winds, rainstorms and poor visibility compelled her to land at Singapore. The flight over the jungie worried her because of the possibility qf a forced landing. She stated the worst -part of the flight was Calcutta tp Singapore. The spare propellor was used from Rangoon and she is unable to fly at full speed or she would have o-verheated the engine. She is leaving for Sourabaya tomorrow and may attempt to beat Hinkler’s record next year.

A ZEPPELIN FLIGHT

ACROSS THE ATI-ANTIC.

BERLIN, May 18.

Twenty-two passengers, . paying £I3OO each, including the Spanish Prince Infante Alphonse of r. Orleans, Lady Drummond-Hay Mrs Pierce (wife of a New York financier), will accompany the Graf Zeppelin on ,a threeweek voyage of 17,000 miles, starting this evening, halting at Seville, Rio de Janiero, and Pernambuco, where it will be moored, to a mast, thence to Havana and Lakehurst. On the homeward trip it ,will carry mails. It will have a well stocked larder, and a crew of 42, and is insured for £70,0Q0.

A ZEPPELIN FLIGHT

BERLIN, May 18,

A Friedrichshafen report states commanded by Eckner, the Graf Zeppelin left for Seville on the first stage of the flight to America. The passengers names were kept secret before the start owing to the number of iteleg aphic pro tests received from nervous wives and anxious boards of directors. After leaving Seville the airship will fly over Azor es to Brazil.