MOTH CHASER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 776, 24 September 1929, Page 16

MOTH CHASER

AIRPLANE FOR WHALING IN ANTARCTIC NORWEGIAN ENTERPRISE Winging its way to popularity and success, the airplane has entered with no small degree of importance into many fields of industry. The latest is the announcement that a Gipsy-Moth is to be used in one of the whaling expeditions to commence operations shortly in the Antarctic. month the Norwegian pilot, Mr. Lief Lier, who assisted in the search for General Nobile in the Arctic, tested out a Gipsy-Moth and flew it from Stag Lane airdrome, England, to Norway, where it was housed on the Norwegian whaling ship, Kosmos (23,000 tons). This vessel is reported to have sailed from Norway and is expected to arrive at Dunedin some time next month. Aircraft have been used before in searching for seals off the Canadian coasts and for herring off the Scottish coasts, hut this is the first occasion on which an airman has been called upon to scout for whales. The machine will be of the convertible type and it is anticipated that the pilot will be able to secure valuable information as to the best way through the ice-floes and thus save the expedition much time in working through a given area, while in sighting whales his services are expected to be invaluable to the expedition.