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SOUTHERN CROSS.

LONDON IN THIRTEEN DAYS. Sydney, March 7< ,The Southern Cross flight to Lon-i don beigins from Richmond on Bth March. The first stage, to Wyndham, 1860 miles, will be done in one hop. The next also is non-stop, Wyndham to Singapore, 2030 miles. Smith and Ulm hope to complete the last stage froim Bagdad to London, 2513 miles, non-stop, reaching England in about thirteen days from Richmond. Exhaustive tests of the instruments and the monoplane are now being carried out. KINGSFORD SMITH’S PLANS. Sydney, February 28. Great interest icentres ini the pro • jected flight from Australia to London by Squadron-Leader Kingston! Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm in the famous Southern Cross. i An attempt .will be made to reach London in the record time of 13 days, and the real, attempt to achieve the /fastest time will be commenced from "VVtyndham, in North Australia. For this great flight the machine has been refitted. Three new propellers, specially armoured to stand up to the assaults of the monsoonal rains over Java, and the hail and ice expected to be encountered over the Alpine Valleys, have been, installed, and the Southern Cross is said to be in a perfect condition for the great task which confronts it. As the aviators lent their earth inductor compass and some engine parts to Captain Hurley for his illfated flight, another inductor eo|mpaSs had to be secured from Almerica. Squadron - Leader Kingsford Smith said that he thought the flight held only two hazards. Heavy rain at Wyndham might delay the start, and there was a possibility that the ’plane would have to face much rain and fierce tropical storms over Java and to the north-west of the island. He and Flight-Lieuten-ant Ulm would , have to be wary in dodging the 12,000 feet mountain peaks on the islands in that region. The big petrol load would not allow the machine to climb more than 12,000 Meet, and special care would have to be taken at night. There was a probability of worrying storfms as far as Calcutta, but af- ' ter Bagdad it looked like “plain sailing.” Given perfect weather conditions that would enable the Southern Cross to lift the maximum petrol load, as she had done at Barking Sands, Hawaii, they hoped ; to fly non-stop from Bagdad to : London. It was problematical, / however, whether they would be j able to achieve that ambition, be- f cause of the possibility of violent < weather oyer Europe. Those factors might cause the airmen to land 1 at Ro|me, and fly through the Alpine ' passes by daylight. ;

Kdngsford Smith is not absolutely confident that he will be able to achieve a record. “We are hopeful of making the fastest time on the flight,” he said, “(but owing to the enormous weight of our machine, and adverse weather at this time of the year, we may not succeed. With a machine varying in weight from four and a half to six and a half tons we may bog heavily on an aerodrome where a lighter machine could land in safety.” Picking up 1100 gallons of petrol and 40 gallons of oil at Wyndham, the flyers hope to speed non-stop to Singapore. Victoria Point is reported to be an entirely suitable landing ground for such a large machine. If head Avinds and adverse weather are struck, Kalidgati will be an intermediate halt. If the ’plane can get away from Singapore with Ti full loading of petrol, a non-stop dash to Rangoon, in Burma, is planned. Permission has been granted to the flyers to land on the new racecourse at Rangoon. The racecourse is 3500 feet long. The airmen propose ,to fly non-stop from Rangoon to Allahabad, rest there for a day, and then push on non-stop across India to Karachi. (Calcutta has been selected as the intermediate stop if the “take-off” conditions at Rangoon prevent the ’plane picking up the full supply of petrol. With 1200 gallons of petrol taken aboard at Karachi the flyers hope to make Bagdad in one hop, and frota that city the long' 2680 miles to London Avithout a stop is the ambitious Objective. The Southern Cross .will wing its way .over the silent ridges of Gallipoli, where both airmen saw service thirteen years ago. It has to be remembered that the BagdadLondon hop is 500 miles'less than the hop of the Southern Cross from HaAvaii to Suva —that memorable hop that astounded the whole Avorld. But, if the weather should cause a landing at Rome, the Italian n.ir officials have promised to give every facility. Wjhile in London Simith and Ulm Avill arrange for the machines that are to carry on the service between Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. The plans for this service are now well forward, and its success is said to be practically assured.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/MH19290309.2.26

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3916, 9 March 1929, Page 3

Word count
Tapeke kupu
800

SOUTHERN CROSS. Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3916, 9 March 1929, Page 3

SOUTHERN CROSS. Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3916, 9 March 1929, Page 3

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