COBHAM’S RETURN TO LONDON

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3546, 5 October 1926, Page 2

COBHAM’S RETURN TO LONDON

RECEIVES GREAT WELCOME.

THE KING’S CONGRATULATIONS.

London, October 1,

Leaving Paris at 11 o’clock in the morning, the British aviator, Capt. Atan Cobham, returning by air from his great flight to Australia, made an uneventful crossing of the Channel, and reached his destination in London, completing a remarkable feat in aviation.

iCobham made a perfect landing, amid deafening applause. He attempted a speech in reply to his astounding welcome, but could only say: “How do you do, everybody? Pm glad to be home again. Thank you all ever so much.”

Cobham’s speecli was broadcasted to listeners-in who had been following the .flight in imagination by means of announcements of the approach, the noise of the crowd, the shrieks of sirens, and the sound of the aeroplane engine as the craft dropped on to.the surface of the Thames opposite the House of Parliament. ,

WELCOMED BY AIR MINISTER. After landing, Capt. Cobham was taken to the House of Commons,outside of which he was'welcomed by Sir Samuel Hoare, Secretary of State for Air. Before welcoming Capt. Cobham and his mechanics in the name of the Government and nation, Sir Samuel read the King’s message, as follows: —“In your safe return from Australia I offer you a cordial welcome and congratulate you on your successful termination of another historic flight.” FEELING REFERENCE TO ELLIOTT’S DEATH. Capt. Cobham feeling]}* referred to Elliott’s’death, describing it as a terrible tragedy.” He also paid a glowing tribute to Sergeant Ward, who replaced Elliott as mechanic, saying that he only knew the engine by theory, yet they got through and home again without a hitch. “I knew it would be a terrible job to fly by two daily jumps homewards with only two of us, so I asked Capel to join us, and I do not know what I should have done without him. The flight to Australia was not a stunt and I can’ tell yon we found out that we had much to face in the way of severe difficulties, but it was my ambition .to do the flight to the Commonwealth. The only real check was the Hagedy in Iraq, and the difficulty of finding aeroplane bases in the Persian Gulf, while the monsoon provided us with valuable experience. The whole route from Calcutta, to Port Darwin provides ideal places for aeroplane l bases.

“I think I have beaten the mail boat,” concluded Capt. Cobham, as he handed over letters from Lord Stonehaven, Mr Stanley Bruce, and others to Mr Leopold Amery’s private secretary. The Mooltan, which took mails from Australia on August 25, Cobham leaving on August 30, is landing them at Marseilles to-night, delivery being made in London on Monday. Referring to the air service, to Australia, Capt. Cobham, in an interview, emphasised the significance that not one stoppage or delay! in going or coming had been due to machine dr engine failure, so that from a flying point of view, things are as near perfect as possible. Describing the monsoon which had made the world think they were lost, he said it was the worst season, and the aeroplane collided with it and got surrounded by it, while tor-, rents of rain simply swept through the machine. “We could not have got wetter,” he said, “if we had dived overboard. We had no wireless weather reports to guide us, as will be the case when a regular service is overland to Marseilles or by aeroplane to Calcutta, and then seaplane through to Port Darwin where the service would link up wtih Australia. You have got to remember that the monsoons delay even mail liners, but with the probability of organised facilities we should get GO per cent, more regularity, which would be 50 times better than anything we arq getting to-day.” Cobham on the double journey was actually 321 hours aloft. Everybody is amazed that he reached home in 26 days, because he faced the worst part of the monsoon season.