TRANS- TASMAN FLIGHT STARTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 248, 10 January 1928, Page 1

TRANS- TASMAN FLIGHT STARTS

AIRMEN CRUISE EASTWARD

Far Out Before Dawn

WELLINGTON IS THE OBJECTIVE

Wives Confidently Await Arrival

Extra.—By CaJ)le. —Press Association. — Copyright .

Received 9.45 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. THE New Zealand airmen, Lieutenant J. R. Moncrieff and * Captain G. Hood, hopped off from Sydney at 2.44 this morning (5.14 New Zealand time) for Wellington. When the engine was started up at 2 o’clock this morning, it was found that an oversupply of lubricating oil had been pumped into the containers, the overflow choking some vital points of the machine. The trouble was soon remedied, and at 2.40 Lieutenant Moncrieff and Captain Hood took their places in the machine. Lieutenant Moncrieff, as pilbt, gave the order to start. The chocks were pulled from the wheels, the propellor revolved, and at 2.44, with the engine revolving at cruising speed, the pilot waved his hand as a signal of departure. The all clear ’ was given, and the monoplane taxied into the open space of the airdrome and within 100 yards had risen and turned direct for New Zealand. Within a few minutes she was lost to sight and hearing. Tests before leaving showed the wireless to be in proper working order. Captain Hood and Lieutenant Moncrieff expressed themselves as absolutely physicand in good spirits. They said they were ready to undertake the journey cheeifully and confidently. Messages were sent to the airmen’s wives stating that they expected to be with them in Wellington to-night. The State Meteorologist was at the airdrome with a specially-prepared weather re- -? e sa id that so far as he could make out, the weather was particularly favourable. Weather reports were received from New Zealand by wireless, till 6.30 in the morning; also from ships at sea.—A. and N.Z.

HIGH OVERHEAD

FLIERS PASS MAUNGANUI ENGINE RUNNING WELL Reed. 11.35 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. A favourable weather report received at a late hour last night decided the fliers’ unexpected start, after an announcement earlier in the day that they would not do so. The decision was not reached till toward midnight. The steamer Maunganui experienced exceptionally fine weather on the voyage from Wellington. At 3.16 this morning, when the vessel was about 3 5 miles off the coast, the aviators were dimly discernible. At dawn they passed overhead at a considerable height. The engine sounded as though it were working perfectly.— A. and N.Z.

SIGNALS FROM PLANE

A STOPPAGE EXPERIENCED BREAK ONLY TEMPORARY Press Association. - WELLINGTON, To-day. Up till'a quarter to nine signals were received from the airplane regularly at Wellington. A stoppage was then experienced; but communication with Sydney elicited the fact that the signals were still being heard there. The stoppage here was only temporary, as the signals are again being heard. The break must have been due to atmospherics.

WELLINGTON’S WELCOME.

VAST CROWD EXPECTED WEATHER PERFECT Press Association. WELLINGTON, To-day. The sole topic of conversation here centres in the plane which is now beating its lonely way across the Tasman. The weather locally is perfect, and everything promises well for a good landing at Trentham. A great crowd is expected to go out and an enthusiastic welcome is certain to be accorded the fliers. Mrs. Moncrieff and Mrs. Hood are in town awaiting the . event confident!; . They are assured of a happy and successful conclusion to the venture. The Mayor, Mr. G. A. Troup, will be at Trentham to welcome the men on their arrival, and he has asked the employers generally, as far as possible, to allow their employees away an hour earlier, with a view to their having an opportunity to go to Trentham to take part in showing the Dominion’s appreciation of the feat.

ALL STILL WELL

SYDNEY’S LATEST MESSAGE SIGNALS VERY FAINT Reed. 1.35 p.m. SYDNEY, To day. The wireless operator (Mr. Jones) of the JMaunganui, has been listening since 3 o’clock this morning for a message from the Ao-tea-roa. He heard signals, but nothing sufc ficient definitely to identify the aviators. Neither Lieutenant Moncrieff nor Captain Hood is a qualified operator. They arranged to send a long dash of five minutes every quarter of an hour. This is possibly the signal Mr. Jones was hearing.

Amalgamated Wireless says it has heard nothing. Amalgamated Wireless later stated that it picked up the fliers’ prearranged signals to 8.30 a.m. Then they gradually grew fainter, and are now practically out of touch; hut it is believed that New Zealand gained touch. The latest signal showed all to be well. —A. and N.Z.

NOT A “STUNT”

OBJECTS OF THE AIRMEN Firm belief in the appropriateness of the first flight to New Zealand being made by New Zealanders is held by the two fliers. Every precept of patriotism demands that the endeavour should be made by sons of the Dominion, and not left to a chance bird-man, who might “drop over here” on his way round the world. Speaking in Sydnev before the flight, Captain Knig't made it clear that the flyers were L-t seeking only th& publicity and temporary fame which would be accorded the pioneers of the Tasman trail. “There is nothing whatever in the way of a stunt about it,” he said, “and the flyers are certainly not going to derive personal or financial benefit from it.” He . said that at much personal inconvenience and financial risk, as they had received very small public support, the journey was being undertaken. with the object ortcreating a deeper interest in aerial defence in the Pacific zone, and of drawing into closer relationship the people of New Zealand and Australia. success will be greeted with a" fanfare of publicity, but it will also mean that the bonds of Empire have been tightened and strengthened.

ALL EXPERIENCED FLIERS

ONE MINUS A LEG GOOD WAR RECORDS All three fliers have excellent war records, and despite New Zealand’s lethargy in air affairs following the war retained a keen interest in all branches of aviation. /CAPTAIN HOOD was born in the Wairarapa 35 years ago. He is well known in the Wellington district as a splendid rifle shot, and has consistently attended the N.Z.R.A.’s meetings at Trentham. It is not generally known that Captain Hood has a wooden leg as a result of his war experiences. He enlisted with the N.Z.E.F. at

the outbreak of the war and served in France and on Gallipoli. Toward the end of the war he transferred to the R.F.C., where he soon gained a reputation as an intrepid flier. Since his return to New Zealand he has annually taken the refresher course at Sockburn. Captain Hood is married. His bride, an English girl, has taken the keenest interest in his flight. After his return to Masterton Captain Hood was engaged in taxi work for some time. Lieut. John Robert Moncrieff is a Shetland Islander, though as he came to New Zealand when 14 years of age, he can for all intents and purposes be claimed as a New Zealander. He, too. is married. His age is 29. He lost his father at an early age, and his mother (who still resides in Wellington) was left with a young family to provide for. Realising that better opportunities awaited them in New Zealand than in their native land, the Moncrieff family made their way out to the land beneath the Southern Cross. “Scotty” Moncrieff volunteered for service abroad before he was of age. After being “turned down” on several occasions he eventually entered the Air Force in 1917 and undertook a course of instruction at Christchurch. Special study followed in England, and eventually he was sent over to France toward the close of the war. A crash in England was responsible for a scar which he carries on his cheek to this day. As an instructor with the R.A.F., he was responsible for a time for teaching Japanese officers to fly. Lieut. Moncrieff returned to Wellington in 1920, and since has been working at a garage. Each year he, too, has attended the refresher course at Christchurch. He is a keen golfer, and one of his hobbies—besides work —is wireless telegraphy.

The spin of a coin decided that Lieut. Kight, the Dannevirke barrister airman, should not participate in the making of world history by essaying this flight. He is remaining in Sydney, anxiously watching for news of his comrades. His experience in flying was gained in England, as, owing to business reasons, he was unable to enlist in New Zealand. After flying in England and in France, Captain Kight returned to this country and was placed on the reserve of officers of the New Zealand Air Force. Each year he has taken his refresher course at Sockburn. He is 32 years of age.

LIKE LINDBERGH’S

THE FLIERS’ PLANE Equipped with the same type of engine which carried Colonel Charles .Lindbergh on his epoch-making flight across the Atlantic, the Aotea-Roa is faced with a journey which is considerably shorter. The motor has 200 horse-power and is expected to develop 226 horse-power under the most favourable conditions. This should give the plane a flying speed across the Tasman of 100 to 130 miles an hour, and the journey should be; completed in about 12 hour^ After undergoing a successful test at Point Cook Airdrome, near Melbourne, the Aotea-Roa was flown to Sydney. She carries 300 gallons of petrol, estimated to give a range of 1,600 or 1,700 miles. Lieut. Moncrieff, one of the flierr, interested his uncle, Mr. J. McCrorie, of Dunedin, in the flight some months ago. and Captain Kight co-operated in raising the capital to buy an airplane. Quotations were received from the Ryan Air Line (America), and donations were sought. Several disappointments were experienced. but eventually the promoters decided they had sufficient money in hand to commit the subscribers to a machine, and this was done, £I,OOO deposit bein*f paid. Major Wilkes considered the machine excellently suited for the flight. Mr. A. McXicol, trustee of the Tasman Flight Fund, was asked by the New Zealand airmen to convey their thanks to their backers for the opportunity and to state that in the venture the airmen will endeavour to justify the confidence, reposed in them. McXicol states that Lieut. Moncrieff and Captain Hood have entered v.. venture at considerable personal sacrifice. They are both working mechanics, and the money subscribed for the flight, after meeting the heavy cost of the machine, has nor permitted much to meet their personal expenses in Australia. Opposition to the flight was offered by the Australian aviation authorities, who believed that only seaplanes should be used, as a result the Prime Minister cabled the Australian Government inquiring if it were permissible for the New Zealanders to hop off from there by airplane. A reply from Mr. Stanley Bruce was to the effect that the Government did not prohibit Australian airmen from living between the Commonwealth and New Zealand, but that every effort was made to discourage the attempt, unless the aircraft was one of the type mentioned. Every courtes «• would be extended to licensed Dominion pilots who were prepared to fly between Australia and New Zealand in aircraft authorised by the New Zealand Government.

INTO THE RISING SUN AO-TEA-ROA HEADS EAST DANGERS OF PIONEER FLIGHT “Aviators hopped off 2.44 this morning.” This brief cable from Sydney announced to-day that airmen of the antipodes were at last about to attempt the conquest of the Tasman Sea. The plucky Ao-Tea-Roa. her nose towards the rising sun was speeding out over the waste of ocean, on the biggest adventure undertaken by New Zealanders since the Great War. Lonely as an albatross the plane would be when the low-lying headlands of Sydney had sunk below the horizon. Underneath and overhead would be a blue sea and sky. Perhaps a toy ship with a plume of smoke floating upwards would appear, but the flyers

would have to rely on compass and dead reckoning until, their luck holding, they might see Egmont jutting above the sea. Mount Egmont will for almost a certainty be the land-fall of the airmen. On a clear day the mountain may be seen by ships 100 miles away. If the flyers direct their course towards the indigo peak they may land in Dannevirke, and not go on to Wellington or Grevmouth which have been suggested as landing places. The pioneers of the flight across one of the stormiest oceans in the world are facing dangers in cold blood which would make many heroes quail. True they have the latest flying machine and enough petrol to carry them 1,600 or 1,700 miles. But there is always the possibility of engine trouble which would force them to land in a desolation of sea, patrolled by a few ships. Then chance of rescue would be small even though they have a rubber raft. Then a miscalculation might carry them past their objective and then petrol might be exhausted before land was sighted. Add to these the perils of storm and of an endurance test which demands at least a 12-hour vigil.