OFF TO AUSTRALIA

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 893, 10 February 1930, Page 9

OFF TO AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND FLYERS LEAVE ENGLAND COLD, EARLY HOP-OFF

United P.A. —By Telegraph—Copyright Reed. 11 a.m. LONDON, Sunday. In a biting cold wind, and with the airdrome lit by a huge searchlight and enormous flares, Flying Officers Hi. L. Piper and C. Kay' took off this morning, on the flight to Australia. They hope to reach Pisa today. An earlier message from London on Saturday said Flying-Officers Piper and Kay, who have obtained three months’ leave in order to visit their homes, have purchased a de Soutter three-seater air-taxi of the latest pattern with a cruising speed of 100 miles. They have altered it to a twoseater and are installing an extra petrol tank in place of the third seat. This will give the monoplane a range of 850 miles. On the first stage of a flight to Australia their first stop will be at Lyons. The subsequent itinerary will be Naples, Malta, Tripoli, Bagdad, Karachi, Rangoon, Koepang, and Darwin. If the fliers reach Egypt in less than hree days they will attempt to beat Ir. Bert Hinkler’s record of 15?* days o Australia. They do not intend to y across the Tasman Sea, but will be 11-tent to reach Sydney by air. A message from Paris received this ernoo.u says Flying-Officers Piper 1 Kay arrived at Dijen, in France, 12.50. Bad weather delayed their departure till 2.53 p.m., and they later descended at Sathonay, near Lyons.