EARLIER MESSAGES.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 387, 19 March 1937, Page 5

EARLIER MESSAGES.

Captain Musick Pilot of Clipper. Press Association—Copyright. San Francisco, March 18. Three aeroplanes are making th ' first stage of .n. Pacific flight from? Oakland (Califoimi t) to Honolulu. One, the American clipper, ts bound for New Zealand on the first transpacific exploiatory flight. Mrs. Amelia Earhart Putnam left at 4.38 p.m. (Pacific time) yesterday on the first stage of a world flight. The Hawaii clipper, making its regular tranß-Paciflc flight to the Philippines, Mad left at 3.6 p.m., fo'lowed by the New Zealand-bound plane at 4.19 p.m. The Hawaii clipper carried seven passengers and a crew oi eight. The American clipper was piloted by Captain Edward Musick with a crew of live.

Although the 7000 feel long runway was: drenched by recent r'ain, Mrs. Putnam opened '.he throttle and ner plane left the ground after a run of 1897 feet in 25 seconds. Mrs Putnam said good-bye to her husband in the privacy of the hangar. She waved and smiled to the crowd which surrounded the plane. The American clipper was ceremoniously farewelled by dignities find thousands of citizens watched her pass over the Golden Gate harbour. The flight is in preparation for the regular passenger service. The wea ther forecast was for clear wcattier with the exception of northerly cross winds.

“An hour after the take-off,” 'stales a. North American Newspaper Alliance copyright message by -Captain Musick, “we sighted a plane movingover the cloud floor aft. Iti was that of Mrs. Putnam. Soon she overtakes the Hawaii clipper. It. is arranged that we both advance our speed by ten knots above the arbitary mThimum set to assure her a clear sky ahead on the long dash to Honolulu. “The weather is clearing to the westward, with high cumulus clouds' 12,000 feet overhead, rain squalls to' the north and south and the sun a great, fiery ball ready Io plunge irtto the clouds on the horizon. Our navigation will then shift to the stars until dawn off Hawaii at the end ot the first 2400 miles of our flight down under.” Pan-American Airways 1 arranged to Shiite radio facilities with Mrs. Putnam, but she was forced to arrange i special transmitting schedule. Half tyi hour after the take-off Mrs Putnam, rail iocd “All's well.” Four hours after the take-off she had covered 700 miles, according to the radio nwsslage, and had passed both lipper ships. At mid-night a coastguard station intercepted a message from Mrs Putnam, Who said she had covered 1322 miles at an average speed of 166

mile an. hour. Less than an hour later the PUn-Ameirican Airways at Alameda received a message asking it to shift to its new radio frequency because Mrs Putnam was unable to hear on the old frequency. Sho reported that all was well.