CONQUEST OF THE AIR

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 177, 17 October 1927, Page 9

CONQUEST OF THE AIR

ALTITUDE RECORDS ATTEMPTS TO BREAK THEM

PLANE CROSSES SOUTH ATLANTIC LONG FLYING-BOAT CRUISE BEGINS

GREAT advances are being made in the conquest of the air.

Two French fliers have flown across the South Atlantic for the first time, and several other ventures are afoot. To-day the 25,000-mile Empire cruise of the British flying-boats was to commence, that in itself marking an important step in the development of aircraft.

By Cable.—Press Association. — Copyright.

Reed. 9.5 a.m. RIO DE JANEIRO, Sun. Conquering the South Atlantic for the first time, the plane of the Frenchmen Coster and Lebrix came to rest tn Rio Harbour last night. The airmen started from the Le Bourget airdrome, near Paris, on October 10, on a flight to Brazil. They left St. Louis, Senegal, French West Africa, early on Friday, and landed at Port Natal, Brazil, just north of Pernambuco, at 11.40 p.m. on Saturday. The stretch of ocean across the South Atlantic, which is 200 miles longer than from Ireland to yevvfoundland, had not previously been crossed in a non-stop flight.—Sun. Reed. noon. LONDON, Sunday. The German seaplane D. 1220 took oft from Schellingevonde for America, via Lisbon.—A. and N.Z.-Sun. Reed. 10.30 a.m. LONDON, Sunday.

A message from Horta, in the Azores, says that Miss Ruth Elder, who was narrowly saved by a steamer from her burning airplane, in midAtlantic, and landed on the Azores, conferred with the crew of the Junkers plane, piloted by Captain Fritz Loose, which is flying to America. She may return to America on the Junkers plane.—A. and N.Z.

IMPORTANT TEST

FLYING-BOAT CRUISE

DISTANCE OF 25,000 MILES

(British Official Wireless. — Copyright) Reed. 11.30 a.m. RUGBY, Sunday. An Important experiment in British aviation begins to-morrow, when four Royal Air Force flyingboats leave Plymouth on a cruise

to Singapore and Australia. The cruise, which will cover 25,000 miles, will occupy about 12 months, and it is probable that on its completion a flying-boat base will be stationed at Singapore. The object of the, tour is to obtain experience in the problems involved when flying-boats carry on extended independent cruises far from shore bases. It Is also hoped to gain experience of the problems connected with the reinforcing of points on the Imperial routes, with aircraft drawn from England or other parts of the Empire. The machines engaged are of the supermarine Southampton type, each fitted with two Napier-Lion engines of 450 h.p. Group-Captain Cave-Brown-Cave will command. Each boat will be manned by officers and two mechanics. The machines are of the standard Royal Air Force type, but with duralumin instead of the usual wooden hulls, and with modifications in the arrangement of equipment. The use of duralumin instead of wood has made it possible to give more room for the crew, and it has the advantage of avoiding water soakage, which seriously increases the weight. With the increased tankage provided for this tour, each flying-boat weighs 8t tons. The crews will be able to sleep on board. They have already at Felixstowe made the experiment of staying aboard two or three days at a time. —A. and N.Z.

THRILLING RESCUE

SHIP AND BURNING PLANE MISS ELDER’S ADVENTURE By Cable. —Press Association. — Copyright. LONDON, Sunday. The Dutch steamer Barendreeht, which picked up in micLiilantic Miss Ruth Elder and Captain George Haldermann, who left the Roosevelt Field, New York, for a non-stop flight to Paris on Tuesday afternoon in the monoplane American Girl, has landed the aviators at the Azores. The machine was forced down on to the sea about 600 miles north-east of the islands owing to a broken oil-pipe. The wireless operator on the rescuing steamer narrates that when the plane alighted on the sea the two aviators climbed on to the top of the machine. Miss Elder donned a safety suit. The rough sea increased the difflculties of launching a boat and rescuing the aviators. SELLING RESCUE STORY

Subsequently explosions on the plane threw up flames to the height of the steamer's bridge. If the Barendrecht had carried benzine or petrol she would have been blown up. The aviators lost their parachutes, also their luggage and passports. This remarkable mid-Atlantic rescue is the central feature in the extraordinary series of long-distance flights now in progress. Miss Elder's adventure continues to excite interest. It is estimated that the American Girl was in the air 41 hours 26 minutes. The reler.se of the full story of the flight appears to be complicated by the attitude of Miss Elder’s financial supporters. They say that they have instructed her not to talk until they sell her story. According to advices they are asking £30,000 for it. The captain of the Barendrecht, in a wireless message, said he landed Miss Elder and Captain Haldermann at the Azores this evening. Both were fatigued. Miss Elder is to go by boat to Paris. TERRIFIC STORM Another wireless message reveals that the machine struck a terrific storm on Wednesday night. It battled against it for eight hours until daylight, when the oil-pressure gauge bega t to drop and the aviators feared the engine would seize at any moment. They zig-zagged for five hours until they sighted the Dutch vessel. The crew had secured the plane and.

AIRMEN KILLED

agreed to salvage it and were about to haul it aboard when it burst into flames. It was almost instantaneously destroyed and nothing was saved.

An Austrian actress, Madame Lilli Dillenz, flew to the Azores in a Junker plane from Lisbon to congratulate Miss Elder. Considerable excitement was aroused at the islands by the arrival of the Junker plane. Madame Dillenz will shortly take off for New York, a distance of 2,100 miles.—A. and N.Z.

LONDON, Saturday. Two attempts are to be made by British aviators next week to break altitude records. Captain Uwins, clad in electrically-heated clothing and equipped with an oxygen apparatus, will fly to a Bristol Bull Dog plane with specially large wings and a Jupiter engine in an endeavour to reach a height of eight miles. The present record is Sadi le Cointe’s 36,220 ft. Captain Hubert Broad will make ah attempt in a light plane to beat the record of Baumer (Germany) of 22,000 feet.—A. and N.Z.

LONDON, Saturday. A message from Brussels says two airplanes collided at Evere. One machine landed, the pilot being injured slightly. The other crashed from a height of 450 ft. and the pilot was killed. A telegram from Berne, Switzerland, says a military airplane crashed at Kirchdorf. The occupants, Captain von Tobel and Lieutenant Hugi, were killed.—A. and N.Z.