AVIATION

Hokitika Guardian, 19 June 1931, Page 5

AVIATION

A GREAT FLY. ! HA.WKES LA.TE.tL’ RECORD. (Dinted Presß Association.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.] ' LONDON, June 17. Bawkes gnat ti ght from London to Rome and return, at an average of l»u miles per hour, is generally acclaimed. He broke the world s record each way and established a ncord by doing it in one day. ECKEXER’S POLAR FLY. PROPOSED ROUTE. ' BERLIN, June 17. Herr Ec.kcntr announces that the delay caused by the breakdown of Wilkins’ submarine, win prevent a meeting at the Rendezvous in polar regions. Thc Zeppel n starts on 20th of July, the 'first hop bring Leningrad, thence for, a polar cruise of five days. He will not attempt to reach the Pole. Upon his return the Zeppelin will make a nonstop flight to Brazil. WRECKED PLANE FOUND. MELBOURNE, .Tune 18. The Civil Aviation Department has received a report that a wrecked airplane which is believed to be the property of Inspector Ekins, the missing aviator, has been discovered by an Italian in the rugged and heavily-tim-bered country near Tallftiook, sixty miles no"th of Melbourne, but there rs no sign of the pilot. Searchers have gone to the scene.

WAR PLANES. NEW BRITISH MACHINE THE BIGGEST. RUGBY, June 17. Among several new types of aircraft not publicly shown, which will be seen for the first time at the Air Force Pageant at Hendon on Saturday week, will be a huge four-engined Vickers night bomber, which is considerably larger than the eight-ton Vickers Virginia bomber, which has hitherto been the largest and most powerful fighting aircraft In the world 1 . The new machine has four Rolls-Royce engines, developing 1920 horse power, and two of the engines are mounted as tractors and two as pushers. It is 67 feet long, 22 feet high and has a 90 feet wing spread. It weighs 12 tons, and in speed range and load, it shows a considerable advance on any other bombing type. ENGLISH FLYING BOATS. ORDERS FROM FRANCE. RUGBY, June 17. The French airman, Captain Costes, will this week pilot home one of the well-known Calcutta type of flying boats coristrueed by Messrs Short, oi Rochester, which the French Government have purchased. An agreement has been reached between Messrs Short and the Breguet Company, for the .manufacture, under license in France, of further Calcutta boats, which the French Government intend to employ in their nnVal services. The French air transport companies operating in the Mediterranean Sea are also ordering Calcutta craft.