NEW FLIGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 February 1920, Page 5

NEW FLIGHT.

CAIRO TO THE CAPE. PROGRESS OF THE FLIERS. By Telegraph.—Press As3n.—Copyright. Received Feb. 12, 7.50 p.m. London, Feb. 10. The secrecy concerning the Cairo to Cape flight continues. The competing firms absolutely decline information until Egypt is reached. According to official information, Lieutenant Cotton is still at Lebourget, but varying reports are abroad. The Australian Press Association learns from an unofficial but reliable source that the machine did not touch Lebourget, but made a magnificent ten hours' flight from Lympne and landed in the dark near Brindisi.

The longest flight from England yet accomplished is the performance of the South African machine Silver Queen of fourteen hours. After flying all night long in adverse weather, this machine landed at Solium on Sunday, and proceeded to Cairo on Monday. i\ r o news has been received of, the Handley Page machine since it left Brindisi.

Captain Cockerell's Tickers machine is still undergoing repairs at Khartoum. It is understood the Blackburn. Company contemplates entering for the •-•ace, and are negotiating with Australian airmen. Meanwhile, negotiations for securing an engine for a Kangaroo machine are proceeding. When the engine is mounted in the machine, the question of whether the Kangaroo will be diverted to the Cape instead of a new machine will be considered.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.

[The Kansaroo mentioned refers to Captain Wilkins' machine which started for Australia]. THE FIRST ACCIDENT. THE SILVER QUEEN WRECKED. Received Feb. 12, 7.50 p.m. Cairo, Feb. 11. The Silver Queen machine crashed near Wadi Haifa, owing to the evaporation of water in the radiator. The wrecked aviators are safe. —Aus - N.Z. Cable Assn.

[Four machines have so far been mentioned as competing in the air race from Cairo to the Cape. On January 24 the London Times" secretly despatched ft Vickcrs-Vimy aeroplane, manned by Captain Cockerell and Lieutenant Broome, to fly from London to. the Cape, via Cairo, with the object of opening lip the trade route, in the same manner as Captain Sir Ross Smith pioneered the routj to Australia. The Times also commissioned Professor Peter Chalmers Mitchell, secretary to the Zoological Society of London, to act as their special correspondent, and to join the Vimy at Cairo. The Times expedition nas thus gained a considerable start on its rivals, and Captain Cockerell and his party left Heliopolis on February 15. In pursuit of Captain Cockerel! are Major Brackley, who is flying a Handley-Paga machine; Colonel van Ryneveld and Lieutenant Brand, who are flying a second VickersVimy machine purchased bv the South African Government; and two Australian airmen, Lieutenant Cotton and Lieutenant Townsend,. who have been commissioned by the Airco firm, and are flying one of the latest types of De Haviland machines. The aerial route from Cairo to the Cape, approximately ">2OO miles, has already been surveyed by three parties despatched by the Air Ministry, and aerodromes and landing grounds have been prepared. The honor of achieving , the first flight has been the subject of keen international rivalry, and for this reason the greatest secrecy has been maintained regarding the attempt in | England.]