A IRIS MS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 674, 28 May 1929, Page 14

A IRIS MS

The Seventh With Moir and Owen having actually reached Australia theirs is the seventh flight made between England and Australia. Before them came Keith and Ross Smith, Parer and Mclntosh, Cobham, Hinkler, Lancaster and the Service supermarines. More “Moths” for China China has ordered 12 more “GipsyMoths” from the De Havilland Air craft Co., Ltd., in England, which brings- their order to 22 since the beginning of this year. Atlantic Flight Competition Col. W. E. Easterwood, junr., a Texas millionaire, is reported to have arrived in London in connection with an Atlantic flight competition which he is promoting. He is stated to be offering £5,000 for the first successful flight from Rome to New York and Dallas, Texas. It is also stated that a German pilot, Major Otto Schev, and an Italian pilot, Count Delmatta. have notified their intention of competing.

Doing Well The Minister of

Defence, the Hod. T. M. Wilford, re-

eeived advice last week that the Marlborough Aero Club has eight trainees who have completed their tuition course, and are now ready to be examined for their private pilot's licences. The course referred to is under the control of Captain Chandler, the club’s instructor. * * * Schneider Cup Contenders France is preparing four seaplanes for the forthcoming Schneider Cnp race two Nieuport-Delages and two Bernard seaplanes—which will be powered by 1.200 Hispano-Suiza and special Rhone-Gnome-Jupiter motors respectively. Of the four pilots chosen. Lecointe has held world's records for both altitude and speed; Bonnet is an army flyer who established a world's speed record of 268 m.p.h.: and the others are civilians with the highest qualifications. As against this mixed team —ex-war. army and civil —all the British pilots are R.A.F.

Parachute Post A question to which experts are devoting themselves concerns the rapid delivery of airborne letters at intermediate points along trunk routes. A method is to be tested by the French authorities whereby large mail-plane? are to be fitted with cabins in which letter-sorters will travel. These experts will, as they fly, sort out letters for destinations ahead. Then the various packets will be placed in bags attached to postal parachutes of a special type. Then, as the mail-plane rushes above the aerodrome on the outskirts of any town the bag of letters, suspended beneath the parachute, will be sent floating earthward.