SOUTHERN CROSS

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1933, Page 8

SOUTHERN CROSS

KINGSFORD SMITH’S FAMOUS

PLANK

PUBLICATION OF BOOK

CHRISTCHURCH, February 15

From Melbourne to-day there arrived a copy of one of the' most fascinating booxs of the year—“ The Old Bus,” by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. In it are set out the achievements of the famous airman and his remarkable plane, tlio. Southern Cross. Though in essence the book i s a chronicle of fact, the story is more absorbing than any novel. To the average man “Smithy’s” flights are well known. The world has followed his series, of remarkable acaievements, paying spontaneous triUr e to the superlative qualities that have mane them possible. But few are really, conversant with the immense amount of work and anxiety, apart from ti,e actual flying, that tue trips involved, in tins book, ,fc>. Cileries gives the whole history of his conception and nccompiisnmetu of Ins many aerial ventures, dangers, and U oxen, tiie reso>.utiom of ninety-nine

men 111 every huhuffed. To blew Zealanders the most interesting cnapteis will be those devoted »,o 'me first trans-Tasman flight, Sydney to Christcliurcli, on Sopteumer lo and 11, 111X8. The story of that crossing is epic. The airmen liad suuceseiiully completed the transPacinc nova, and the general public expected that the flight to Christchurch, shorter'in actual mileage than some ot the ' previous flights, would provide little 5 ' tiroubie. However j the flyers knew the difficulties awaiting •diem, and, despite ignorant criticism, they waited till reports from both ends were favourable. However, as there were no ships ,on the route at the. time, there was no infonnanion available as to the. weather over the Tadtnadi .'itself., fsuirefy enough, betfore many hours had passed the Southern Cross encountered a wide storm area through which vivid lightning

piteyed’ continual,y, and thefe was no option but to go straight ahead. “We. found that the rain was changing into driving ice,” the narrative staths. “The Southern Cross began to. labour along under the heavy weight of ice which now coated the wing and all exterior surfaces. Wo calculated that we had an added weight of half a to.li. . . . then, to my surprise and dismay, our air speed indicator, on which I relied while thus flying blind, went from 95 miles an hour to zero. . . J. glanced at the engine revolution indicated. It showed 2300 revs, instead of 1800! What had happened was this:-We were diving down at a terrific angle, and at the enormous speed of 150 m.p.h., or more. Below us—and, not far below —was the angry Tasman .Sea. All round us was a black chaotic void, punctuated every few seconds by great, jagged rents of .lightning which, like vivid green snakes, seemed to leap at us from every direction. .“All this time we were bumping about in au inconceivable manner.” To add 0> their .troubles the lightning put both radio sets out of action. “Panic was very near,” continues Sir Charles, “anc\ I almost lost my head. 1 felt a desire to pull her round, dive—climb—do anything to escape. We were like rate in a. trap—terrified, dazed with fear, . . We-carried.soo-600 gallon's of petrol. One spark from that lightning. ■ That excerpt gives some idea of the wonderful, qualities shown by both plane and pilot. Sir Charles describes himself as “dazed with fear,” b.ut he flew the Southern Cross back to Australia, and now he has flown over again! . Another absorbing passage is that which deals with the awful period when, the Southern. Cross and her crew made a forced landing on the mudflats, on the wild Australian coaxt, and were starving for‘days in a wilderness before the, rescue- was successful. The airni’an has transferred his work and experiences to print with outstanding success. His clear, incisive style, allows nothing to fog the issue, yet he gives a graphic, straightforward narrative that is arresting from start to. finish. Everyone,. Australians and New Zealanders particularly, will be grateful to him. for telling- his story himself. The copy of “The Old Bus” to hand comes through the Melbourne Herald Feature Service.