FLYING TO AUSTRALIA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 1233, 16 April 1914, Page 4

FLYING TO AUSTRALIA.

VEDRINES ON HIS WAY NOW IN AFRICA.

Few people have awakened to the recognition of the {act that a dapper little Frenchman is at tlie present time engaged in flying to Australia in an aeroplane, says tho Syd.nev Dailv Telegraph. He will only call at” Australian porta en. route, for Ida expressed intention is to circumnavigato tho globe in his aerial crab—a proposition go prodigious that few poop!.- will readily give it credence. Hut the aviator is Jules Vodriues. And among tie; men who have iaken a. close inn-re: i in aviation it is realised that Vydrine.-; a. one of thceo ‘‘silent men who do things, letting babblers tt 11 ih.store.” Besides, hr has already accomplished a’fair part of tho journey—enough not; only lo show that he is in earnest, but also to 'establish the proud record of having flown over more countries in Europe thou any other aviator, Starting ftom France, he has flown over Germany, Austria, Hungary, Servia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Tripoli, .Syria, and Egypt. The rout© ho has already covered works out at considerably over' 3000 miles—which is easily a record for long-distance flight across different countries, With such an auspicious commencement, it is quite feasible that the quiet little Frenchman will achieve his grand objective, which is to 11 v back to bis native Paris after the first, aerial tour of tho world. It is not difficult to imagine the reception which would be accorded to him by_his enthusiastic countrymen —a reception in which _ all nations of tho world would cordially join. There was no flourish of trumpets when Vedrines darted from his hangar outside Paris, <m December 2. Vedrines objects to publicity. For this purpose he had given out that he proposed a flight to Rheims, a distance of about 80 miles. Only his brother was aware of the tremendous project, that Vedrines had entered upon. Tho. machine he used was a Bleriot of a type considerably in advance of that in which tho inventor had crossed the Channel. With the farewell wishes of his brother and the mechanics, the hitler being unaware of his objective, ho sailed up into the sky to start, upon his long journey. After crossing the French Itordor into Germany his mighty plans nearly came to grief, for while ho was passing over a forircss at Valadine, on the Danube, at a height of 4000 ft., the garrison evidently imagined that, he was an international spy. Guns were fired at him. His monoplano wa- uninjured, but the concussion of the shots was tremendous, and the machine nearly capsized. He recounted this experience” when h© reached Belgrade, and ho added (hat, lie promptly ascended lo a height of 9000 ft.. where ho was, of course, out of range of the missiles.

From thence onward very Hi tin information lias filtered through as to tho doings of tiiat plucky little Frenchman. II" arrived at Solid on December 5, and theneo flew to Constantinople, then to Konich, and thonco across !he Mediterranean Sea lo Tripoli. It is only from tho last-named place lliat any new.- a, to his experiences iia.s ri ache ' civ libation, and that, consists merely of hi- .■’"jiuuk that, whim crowing tin' Taurus Moi,. sins in Asia. Minor the temperature roeoroc-d was 15 degrees below zero.

Up to this point Vedrines had maintained silence as to the great objective he had placed trel'oiv. himself. He new announced, without any evidence of bravado of boastfulness, that, he intended to encircle the globe. ll© said ho would first fly through Egypt, and would then cross over India, to Singapore, in the Straits Settlements, celling at tho Island of Ceylon on tho way. From Singapore he will fly to Sumatra and Batavia, and then shoot across to the we«t» ern coast of Australia, (probably landing at Derby, W.A.). After visiting Perth, ho will fly across tho continent to Melbourne, and thence to Sydney. The. way in which he speaka of these long flights serves to show the, degree in which the aeroplane has annihilated distance. From Sydney, so Vadrines announces, ho will take a steamer to Somh America, and then fly along the Pacific coast to Panama and New Orleans, whence lie will again take steamer for Lisbon. From, tho Portuguese capital ho will once more mount his monoplane and fly back home to Paris, having completed a circuit of the globe. Cable messages received recently announced that ho had reached Cairo. Further news of his journey will bo keenly watched.

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