TO TEST NEW MONOPLANES
NOTED PILOT ARRIVES Two-year Flight Round World Recalled press Association —Cooyrigbt. Auckland, May 15. Keen interest is taken by American aviators in flying in Australia and New Zealand, 'largely because of the intimate association with the three countries of the late Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, according to Mr Moye W, Stephens', Jun., test .pilot) of the Lockheed Aircraft , Coropration, who arrived by the Mariposa from the United States. Mr Stephens,, who is accompanied by Mrs Stephens, will test the three Lockheed: Elec'trai monoplanes which are to arrive at Auckland by the Limerick on May 27 to the order of Union Airways, Ltd.
I “We established a slow record i round the world; it took ue two years,” Mr Stephens said, in dismissing a notable flight he had made with the author, .Mr Richard: Halliburton, from 1930 to 1932, .He recalled that he had succeeded in locating and rescuing- the- famous- German girl flyer, Elly. Belli? "-n, when she was forced down in Vue desert on one of her famous- flights in Africa, an in-: cident recorded by Fraulein Beinhorn in a book describing her adventures.. “I was born in Hollywood and drifted into moving picture flying.,” Mr Stephens said when asked concerning his work in a number of famous aviation films, He mentioned that he was not one of the small band of High-ly-paid spe-eialteta who crashed- aircraft deliberately for films, but was one of the other pilots who took part in “dog-fighting” and general manoeuvres. Deliberate crashing, though a hazardous business, was- reduced .to an art by those who specialised in it, and they studied in advance the best means of wrecking a craft spectacularly but with the least possible risk to themselves.
The performance of the Lockheed Electra was praised by Mr Stephens, who said the machine should; be ideal for New Zealand. It was fast, comfortable, and reliable, and had pi ov<.d itself in service, in other parts of the world, notably on some of the PanAmerican routes in South America.
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Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 434, 15 May 1937, Page 6
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338TO TEST NEW MONOPLANES Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 434, 15 May 1937, Page 6
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