AVIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 27

AVIATION.

TRANSATLANTIC FLIERS. THE FLIGHT COMMENCED. HARBOUR GRACE (Newfoundland), June 24. Otto . Hillig and Holger Hoibiss, copilots in the aeroplane Liberty, tooK off on their flight. FORCED LANDING IN RHINELAND. BERLIN, June 25. Otto Hillig and Holger Holris made a forced landing at Krefeld (Rhineland). They immediately took off for Copenhagen. They stated that they lost their way, and flew across Spain and France. Bad weather forced the airmen to flv for 13 hours at 12,000 feet above the clouds. They descended in the morning and flew close to the sea until they sighted the coast of Spain. They - crossed the German frontier late in the afternoon, after 32 hours’ flying, during which they averaged 112 J miles per hour. BREMEN":REACHED. BERLIN, June 26. Hillig and Holris landed at Bremen, and are remaining there for' the night. Hillig is aged 55. He went to the United States at the age of 15, and became a rich photographer. He planned a triumphal homecoming, and he took a passage in the Graf Zeppelin, but was ejected at the last moment for a more influential passenger. He met Holris, a German airman, and voiced his grievance, to which Holris replied, “ Buy' a-plane, and I will fly you home.”

GREAT WELCOME AT COPENHAGEN. COPENHAGEN, June 26. Otto Hillig and Holger Holris arrived and received the biggest public welcome in Denmark’s history. ACROSS THE ATLANTIC. NEW YORK, June 23. Wiley Post and Harold Gatty took off from Roosevelt Field for Harbour Grace, Newfoundland, in the monoplane Winnie May on Tuesday morning, this being the first leg on a flight round the world. They expect to start for London after two hours’ rest at Harbour Grace. HARBOUR GRACE, June 23. Wiley Post and Harold Gatty hopped off for Berlin at 4.57 p.m. to-day. The take-off was one of the most hasty in the history of transoceanic flights. No sooner.had the aviators landed from New York than they ate a hasty meal and rushed back to the field to supervise the refuelling. They inspected the plane, warmed up the engine, and hopped off. They were even too' busy to pose for the photographers. They evidently gave little or no thought to the weather. THE ATLANTIC SAFELY CROSSED. LONDON, June 24. Wiley Post and Harold Gatty landed at Sealand at 11.45 this morning, and left for Berlin at 2.5 in the afternoon. THE RECORD BROKEN. RUGBY, June 24. The record for the Atlantic flight, which was established in 1919 by the English airmen Sir John Alcoek and Sir A. Whitton Brown, was broken today, when, 15 hours 48 minutes afterleaving Harbour Grace (Newfoundland) the American airman, Wiley Post, accom-. panied by the former Australian naval cadet, Harold Gatty, landed at an aerodrome near’ Chester. ' They beat the record, which’has stood'fdr 12 years, by 24 minutes.

PLANE LEAVES FOR BERLIN. LONDON, June 24. “Hullo, England! We’ve done it!” was the greeting from Harold Gatty and Wiley Post as they stepped out at Sealand aerodrome. “It has been a splendid trip throughout,” said Gatty. “ A real joy ride, with smooth conditions the whole way,' excepting during the first few hours.” The flyers wasted no time, but filled up their petrol tanks, hastily examined the machine, and took off again. A CLAMOROUS WELCOME. LONDON, June 25. Post and Gatt-y were clamorously welcomed at Berlin. They will leave for Moscow to-morrow. Gatty is a Tasmanian, who was formerly with the Union Steam Ship Company. ANOTHER HOP COMMENCED. MOSCOW, June 26. Post and Gatty took ■ off, bound for Novosbirsk-,-the new-capital of Siberia, which is 2109- miles from here. They intend to remain only an hour for refuelling. They- have covered 5150 miles in three days; and have-had very little sleep. They spent last night at a banquet which • was tendered by the Soviet authorities, who promised their assistance throughout Russia. STEADY PROGRESS MADE. LONDON, June 27. A message from Blagovestchensk states that Wiley Post and Harold Gatty have arrived there.