ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA

Hokitika Guardian, 29 May 1930, Page 3

ENGLAND-AUSTRALIA

Ai uqii -trAve eled air route

COMPARISON OF TIMES.

liver since the beginning of Decemr, J 919, when Sir Keith Smith and i. Ross Smith,'Etienne Poulet, Captain H. Wilkins, and Captain xUatliews were chasing one another to laze the trail between the two coun.lies, the Englaiul-Australia flight has excited almost as much pu die interest is have the trans-Atlantic flights. The Smiths were the only aviators lo complete the course and revived the £IO,OOO prize, . while he two phots also receved wellarned knighthoods. Sir Keith Smith l and Sir Rnss Smith, with Sergeants • iers and Bennett, left London on ' : ovember-12, 1919, in a Vickers Vimy biplane, and arrived at Darwin on I)e----■eniber ](). They had spent 124 hours > the air, and the two Rolls-Royce endues lied produced an average speed f n 0 miles per hour. . “ 1 Then Caine Lieutenants Parer. and

V brush, flying a DH9 machine: Halfway on the last stage of. theft journ-<-‘v> from -Melbourne to - Svdney. they 'T’.U'h'dd. though'their single Armstrong “'dde'ey- pngiuP had Pulled them safely • ■ * • j ,»4■ * through their, seven month's’ night. l The only foreigner to flv fpom " ’lyne to Australia \vns the ATnrcheSe .de ; .Piiiiedp. \yhd in ••.'1926,..f11w. ffpflr ttdhiel fd MPlbourffe. “

sift Allan I 66*MA

When the year 1929 had ' closed, ■ Sir Alan ■Cpbham ' had completed ihe first-two-rway journey, starting out from England on June 30, with' Mr A. R. "lliott (who was shot by Arabs on ‘he journey) as mechanic, arriving -bout the Middle of August. Before he,: month had ended Cobham was oil the return journey, which was eomolcted on October 1. The pilot was crested a Kir>bt Commander of the Or-J-'r of the British Empire, and later ’«e-Royal. Aero. Club awarded him the Britannia Trophy for the flight of tlie year. ‘ “ The next successful flight was two vear.4 ago, when Captain Lancaster and Mrs Miller reached Darwin after "ft flb-bt which lasted five months. Despite; numerous delays on account of rain, A ‘'off-ed landing at Bagdad, a snake iii r'm cockpit,, ard an injurv to . Airs. Miller, the Red Rose. a‘ C’ m,us-eh-•'itied Avro Avian, completed the loijg trip

HINKLER MAKES HISTORY

On February fi, 1928, SquardoiV Loader Bert Hinkler commenced alns| trjp to the Commonwealth in an AiTP \vinn, landing at Darwin after a flight whirli! had. taken sixteen days. This "rent effort made him a world-famoUS figure.' gave lrm Ins Air Force Cross and the. Britannia Trophy for l n0 ". , Hinkler’s flight made the route po--nrlpr. and Afoir and Owert returned, to

'Australia, by air, after liawiig .attempted a flight to England in com; ijfinv with Captain F. Hurley, who rain l ’ to unUmely end. After a forced landing in Egypt, they lost tiiemselves somewhere on the northern'coast of Australia.and were found by Captain Brain at the Capq light l o iso. with a wrecked tnfic-hine; Tbo fbVbt c f four R.A.F. Supermarine Southhanmton flying boats, under the command of Group-Captain CaveT, town-C°ve. left Plymouth on October 17, 1927. and reached Australia on June 1, 1928. after calling at nearly 70 ports on the journey.

After this came Kingsford Smith and his companions from Australia to Pn'i'lrmd, which took 13 davs, the trip.' of Mr Chichester and Flying-Officers Kay and Piper

TIMES'.COAIPAR ED.

Tins successful flights. 1 ' with times' have been fts follows:-— their • * •• kg’. .;,x ' ' r Days. «:«'• lioss 'Smith,, 1919 _. .. 28 . Parer and: MpTnjtosh/. 1920 ...... 207 4far ,’ ese de Pined6,;J925 ........ .. 35 Sir Alan Oobham, 1926 ..•35 Mr. Belt Jlihkier, 1928 . is, Cant. Laii$asierj-Mrs Miller, 1928 155 H.A.F. fi^ihg-boMs 1 , 1928 227 Moir and Owen, 1929 •••• . 62 Mr, F. C. Chichester, 1930 37 Piper and Kav, 1930 .' : A .. U Miss Amy Johnson, 1930 . 20