BRITISH WORLD FLIGHT.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4783, 1 December 1924, Page 3

BRITISH WORLD FLIGHT.

STORY OF THE FAILURE. SQUADRON-LEADER’S NARRATIVE. Squadron-Leader A. S. C. S. Maclaren, who recently attempted to fly round the world in a British machine, and failed to accomplish the whole distance owing to a disastrous misadventure with fog, told the thrilling story of his flight at a luncheon party recently. "The ’ fun began,” he said, ‘‘when we reached the great range of mountains that divides Siam from Indochina. The mountains were covered with heavy clouds, and although we climbed 8000 feet, the higher we go: the higher the clouds seemed to be. By this time we had all go: the wind up. We decided to go back a little way and try to find some opening in the clouds. Luckily we found a hole, and sighted an opening clearing in the middle of the jungle.

"Af. we approached this clearing with a view to landng We eaw something noving, and discovered it to be a herd of elephants, which rushed into the jungle at our approach. We could, alsc see many buffalo and deer. When making a final tour of inspection at a height of only a few feet the glass seemed to be inordinately l ug, ami »e then found to our horror that the clearing was a vast swamp. There vas only one thing to do, and that was to climb up through the thousands of feet of cloud again. “We chanced our luck on a compass io,ir!-.c, and after an hour’s flying over impenetrable cloud were rewarded with a sight of the sea in the distance. The three of us solemnly shook hands on it.” Squadron-Leader Maclaren gave a vivid account of the acpidents that pl.t an end to his flight. He said: "We left Oest Kamchatka with a 130mile sea crossing in front of us. We were within thirty or forty miles of our destination when the fog became so solid that we were flying only a few feet above the water. Suddenly a black object loomed up straight ir. front of us, and only a quick swerve saved us from crashing into the cliffs of a small island. By this time we were almost in a state of nervous prostration, so we decided to land in the open sea, although there was a heavy sea running.

“Plenderleith brought the machine down, perfectly, but just after we had touch the water a large wave caught bur Wing tip float, smashed it to pieces, and buried the end of the wing under water. This cause ! the machine to swing suddenly lound, the port wing broke up, and .the sea catching the other wing tip float smashed that, and the starboard wing tip as well. We nastily put on our lifebelts, but the machine took the strain without bteaking, and we were safe for the moment.

“We were now in a very real quandary, for we had completely lost our bearings. The fog was so thick thai we could not see more than fifty yards in any direction. The heavy sea was breaking up the wings completely. and we knew that the moment these gave way the machine would overbalance and sink. “After about .three hours of anxiety the fog lifted, and we saw, half a mile to the north, the coastline. We reached the shore, and, anchoring the machine just off the surf, all jumped into the icy water and gained the beach safely, only a mile or two from Nikolski This was the end of our attempt, and I am not ashamed to say that I wept bitterly. "That is our story. We would not have missed the adventure for worlds. We did our best, and failed this time. It is now established that it is possible to fly round the world. I believe it can be done in less tima than Jules Vernes’ eighty days, and also by one British machine and dno British engine. Although we have failed, we did our best” (Cheers.)