“Englishmen Are Sports”

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 137, 31 August 1927, Page 1

“Englishmen Are Sports”

LEVINE TAKES BRITISH PILOT Law-Breaking Journey From Paris

CHARLES Levine broke almost every law of flying m lus off-hand trip from London to Paris. His air journey back across the Atlantic to America will be less hazardous, tor he has engaged a crack English pilot, Captain Hmclicliffe, to accompany him. An early start will be made. By Cable. —Press Association. — Copyright.

Reed. noon. LONDON, Tuesday. INLYING circles are full of admiration of the whimsical American millionaire, Charles Levine, who made such a lucky off-hand lone flight from Paris. Levine to-day was very. busy. He appointed Captain Hinchcliffe to pilot the ‘‘Miss Columbia” on its return across the Atlantic. Then he made a statement: “The pilots ready, the plane is ready; lam ready. i only want the right sort of weather and off I go. I have said I will fly the Atlantic both ways and 1 will. But Paris hints that he may yet be checked. Mrs. Levine, after paying M. Drouhin (Levine s French pilot) £BOO in satisfaction

of his claims for breach of contract, went with ail speed to London, to attempt to persuade her husband not to venture a return flight. Levine is not likely to be dissuaded if the weather reports forecast a reasonable chance of a return flight. He was obyiously in his best spirits to-day. His sportsmanship won al! hearts. He was inundated with tele graphed and personal offers to piloi his machine. He. said: Englist are good sports. Lots of English pilot: have offered to fly me back home, just for the sport and honour of the thing, but I mean to pay well. Hinchcliffe simply told me, ‘I do not want a contract. .1 am only too proud of the opportunity of taking you back to America. It will be a privilege t do the flight.’ ” Hineheliffe is one of the crack pilots of Britain. He has been flying since 1913. He lost an eye in air combat in the war. Since then he has been one of the Imperial Airways leading pilots.

A LAWLESS JOURNEY ] Levine has contravened countless international flying laws. First he is not certificated. Then i he did not pay his Customs dues, and i had not a passport. These points have been reported. to the French Government. While making his actual test flight at Le Bourget, Levine was within the law. As soon as he crossed the three-mile boundary he was an offender, hence the attempted chase by a French military plane. Again, he left Paris without a logbook and clearance papers, and omitted to pass the Customs. Continuing his lawless journey to England he proceeded to break the law wholesale. A machine not equipped with wireless is required to circle the coast station sufficiently low to be recognised. Levine landed in England without a passport. HAD HIS HANDS FULL Everybody agrees, however, that Levine had his novice hands sufficiently full to keep himself alive, without worrying about the law. Levine bears no malice toward Drouhin. He says he is one of the ablest pilots in the world. “Our troubles,” he added, “are really due to language difficulties. I asked Drouhin and Mathias to name their own prices. and then raised them. My wife paid them this afternoon in 1 Paris.” It. is reported that Drouhin wept on Mrs Levine’s shoulder after the settlement. • —A. and N.Z.