Southern Cross Stranded

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 626, 1 April 1929, Page 1

Southern Cross Stranded

FLIGHT TO ENGLAND DELAYED

Must Wait to Replenish Petrol Supply

ON the first hop of their third big air venture—the flight from Sydney to England—the Pacific and Tasman flyers have been compelled to land in Northern Australia. 200 miles from Wyndham, owing* to their petrol giving out. It is expected that the flight will be delayed for at least three or four days.

Received 10.10 a.m. SYDNEY, To-day. Latest advices show that the Southern Cross, piloted by Squad-ron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant C. T. P. Ulm, with Mr. H. A. Litchfield as navigator and Mr. T. H. McWilliam as wireless operator, was forced down 200 miles from its objective owing to petrol supplies giving out. The country in this district is

densely wooded and hilly, but a landing was safely effected in the vicinity of the Dysdale Mission Station. The crew and the machine are safe. It is expected to be Wednesday or Thursday before petrol supplies can reach the plane. The Southern Cross left the Richmond airdrome at 10.50 a.m. on Saturday for Wyndham, on the north coast of Western Australia.

Several hundred people were present at the departure, and gave the airmen a cordial send-off. Hach made a brief speech, which was permanently recorded. Kingsford Smith was confident that they would win through and achieve something toward linking up the Empire’s air communications. He said the flight was purely of a business nature and no attempt at record-breaking was intended. The monoplane, carrying 800 gallons of petrol, rose slowly in a heavy atmosphere, but once she was aloft she

(United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Press Association)

soon disappeared toward the northwest. The machine was accompanied for some distance by Air Force Moth airplanes. A wireless message from the airmen at 3 a.m. on Sunday said they ex- ! pected to arrive at Wyndham between | 9 and 10 a.m. Later, however, came the news that the Southern Cross had made a forced landing at a point believed to be about 150 miles from Wyndham. Until this morning the actual situai tion of the plane was wrapped in mystery. The only definite knowledge

was that at 12.20 p.m. yesterday a wireless message from the airmen stated that their petrol was running out and that they were descending. It was then reckoned that the airmen were 150 miles from Wyndham, but there was no certainty about that.