A RISKY FLIGHT

Hokitika Guardian, 16 December 1932, Page 6

A RISKY FLIGHT

THE OWNER’S DILEMMA. PROPELLER AND FABRIC DAMAGED. AUCKLAND, December 14. A flight from Matamata to Tauranga, a distance of about 25 miles by air, with a broken propeller and a hole in the fabric of one wing of his machine, was made by a private owner, Mr H. L. D. West, of Whakatane. MrWest owns the only Ccmper-Swift machine in the Dominion, a tiny- singleseater high wing monoplane. Immediately lie took off from Matamata Mr West noticed that liis machine was not climbing at its usual rate, and was at a loss to account for its ' indifferent performance. He experienced difficulty in gaining altitude, and managed to clear the Kaimai hills only' by a small margin. In spite of the poor performance of the Compel-, the pilot decided to continue his flight, but received a rude shock when, while crossing the Kaimai bills, be noticed a gaping bole in the fabric of one wing. As a landing on the Kaimai,s was quite out of the question, Mr West was obliged to carry on in spite of the fact that the hole in the whig fabric was growing in size at an alarming rate. Under the circumstances there was nothing bo could do but hope for the best, and after a nerve-racking trip, he made a safe landing at Tau-l-anga.

•On making an inspection of bis machine, Mr West was astounded to and that the tip of each propeller blade was missing, and that one blade was split almost to the boss.' It was then apparent that in taking off from a comparatively rough field at Matamata. the propeller had struck the ground, snapping the tips from they blades and splitting the air-screw. The hole m the fabric was evidently due* to a piece of the broken propeller striking the wing.

This Coinpcr is fitted with the “doughnut’’ type of landing wheels, and on an uneven field there would be little clearance between the tips el the propeller blades and the-ground when the machine was in flying position.