Her Hard Luck!

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 971, 14 May 1930, Page 9

Her Hard Luck!

MACHINE TAXIES INTO DITCH Miss Johnson at Rangoon FLIGHT SHOULD BE RESUMED TODAY IX lauding near Rangoon after flying from Calcutta, Miss Amy -Johnson, who is on her way to Australia, slightly damaged her airplane, which taxied into a ditch. Miss Johnson missed the Rangoon landing-ground and came down on a playing field. She hopes to resume her flight today.

United. T*.A.—By Telegraph—Copyright Reed. 10.40 a.m. RANGOON, Tuesday.

Miss Johnson, who is flying to Australia, landed at Insein, nine miles from Rangoon, at 5.30 p.m. Interviewed, she said on 1 eaving Calcutta there was foggy weather for the morning journey to Akyab, which, however, was pleasant. Later she ran into terrible weather with heavy rains and strong headwinds. She crossed Yomas about 12,000 feet altitude and owing to bad visibility she gradually came down to about 200 feet. She then followed the coastline and also the railway till she reached Insein. where she mistook a playing field for the Rangoon racecourse. Finding it too small, she continued her flight and lost sight of Rangoon. Finding no other place, she returned to Insein and landed there perfectly. While taxi-ing, the airplane fell into a ditch which she had not noticed and slightly damaged the wings, wheels and propellor. Miss Johnson herself was not injured. __ The engine is all right and if repairs are finished she intends to take-off again tomorrow. MOTHER’S ANXIETY A message from London says: After an ovation at the Rotarian Conference the president, Sir Charles Mander, read a message about Miss Amy Johnson’s forced landing. Mrs. Johnson, a slight grey-clad figure, was overjoyed when informed that her daughter was unhurt. She added: “I would not be brokenhearted even if Amy does not break the records in going to Australia.” Mrs. Johnson clung to the arm of her husband as he deplored Amy’s hard luck and expressed the hope that she would complete the flight. Mr. Bert Hinkler, in his tribute to Miss Johnson, pointed out that any mechanical trouble on the second stage of the journey would be Miss Johnson’s most serious difficulty. Most of the areas over which she has yet tp fly are tropical jungle and water and the landing grounds are very remote. WORST TO COME A British Official Wireless message from Rugby says the Air Minister, Lord Thomson, has telegraphed his congratulations to Miss Johnson wishing her success in the remaining stages of her flight. Her route from Rangoon lies through Bangkok and Sarabaja to Port Darwin. It is Miss Johnson’s present intention

to make tlie return journey from Australia In the same Gypsy Moth machine which she Is now using. Before she acquired tile machine it had done considerable service including long flights when Captain Hope used it last year to follow the Prince of Wales on his African tour. Miss Johnson’s direct route to Rangoon represented a distance of 600 miles and involved a sea crossing of nearly 200 miles. This is described as “the danger route.” An alternative route, which she declined to take, is along the coast line before turning inland and is about 100 miles longer. FLEW OVER JUNGLE She flew over huge stretches of jungle with no possibility of receiving aid if her machine had to come down. Enthusiasm is growing in Australia over Miss Johnson’s flight. A public fund is being initiated for presentation to her when she arrives at Port Darwin. Her present long flight is ail the more remarkable as she has done little solo flying, and it is revealed that her longest solo flight previously was from London to Hull, a distance of 190 miles. The next stage of her flight is from Rangoon to Singapore, 1,200 miles. STORMY FLIGHT FRENCH AIRMAN PIONEERS MAIL EXPERIMENT Reed. 9.5 a.m. RIO DE JANEIRO, Tuesday. The French aviator M. Jean Mermoz accomplished his transatlantic flight with the Paris mail from St. Louis, Senegal, and landed at Port Natal, Brazil. The flight was made with a view to the establishment of an aerial mail from France to South America. In landing at Natal Mermoz completed a flight of about 1,700 miles in 21 hours 12 minutes. It is understood a claim will be lodged with the International Federation for a record. The first part of the journey from . St. Louis was easy, but the aviator ' radioed that half way across the cabin of the airplane was nearly filled with rain during a storm which they traversed.