A NOTABLE FLIGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 October 1921, Page 8

A NOTABLE FLIGHT.

AUCKLAND TO WELLINGTON. SEAPLANE’S RECORD TRIP Wellington, Tuesday. Wellington is getting used to surprises from the air. At three o’clock this afternoon the roar of a large gasoline engine rained moat people in the open to look skyward. and there, only about 2000 feet up, ■wm a strange aircraft. It was at once seen by the long, smooth, rounded white feody, the absence of runners and the double ruddws that the newcomer was a seajflaneX The seaplane wheeled gracefully overheat 1 - in gentle curves until between the Queen s Wharf and Clyde Quay. Then making a nicely graduated plane it turned, came up in the eye of a moderate southerly breeze, and alighted swimmingly on the surface still with considerable pace on. After a little rest those on board “taxied” round the inner harbor, demonstrating how wonderfully sensitive the control is. Then getting dose to the south berth at Queen's Wharf the engines were opened out, and the »dver bird simply flew along the top of the water, croesing to the vicinity of the Clyde Quay Wharf in less than a minute. After backing and Alling the seaplane made for the boat harbor, and was towed in and g&ude fast CROWD SOON GATHERS. a* very short space of time the news •>>rea<i that a strange aircraft had arrived, and *troops of people visited Clyde Quay between 3.30 p.m. and 6 pm. to view the

flying boat, Mr. Leo A. Walsh was on board, and had with him Mr. George Bolt, as pilot, and Mr. R. J. Johnson, works manager for Walsh Bros. Mr. Walsh had in his possession when he landed at 4 pjn. a copy of to-day’s Herald. It was a record journey between the two cities for a flying machine, and one of the first to congratulate Mr. Walsh was Commander Williams, R.N., who is a member of the Air Board. THE JOURNEY. ‘We left Auckland Harbor,” said Mr. Walsh, “at 72 a.m. exactly, and passed over the Manukau Heads at a height of 450 feet at 7.22 a.m. We then followed the coast, flying low, the weather being fine but hazy. We arrived without incident at Kawhia at 8.15 a.m., having covered the 95 miles in 1 hour 13 minutes. After half an hour’s stay there we continued our journey down the coast, and passed Waitara at 9.44 a.m. As the visibility was still poor we kept on following the coast line. Had the weather been fine and clear we might have flown across country, but it was still hazy’, so there was only the one thing to do. “We passed Cape Egmont at 10.7 a.m. The mountain was quite obscured by clouds. That was a pity, as we hoped to get some good photographs of the peak. The rich dairying country thereabouts looked wonderfully well as we skimmed along. “Patea was passed at 10.48 a.m., and we made Castlecliff at 11.11 a.m., landed on the Wanganui River, and planed up to the bridge at 11.15 a.m., which meant that we had covered the 190 miles from Kawhia (our last stop) to Wanganui in 2$ hours. At Wanganui we had a look over the en-

gine, and found everything right, filled up the petrol tanks, and left in soft rain at 1.45 p.m. STRONG HEAD BREEZE. “As soon as we left Wanganui we encountered a strong southerly breeze, which we had against us all the way to Welling1 ton. We dropped on to the water here I at 3.3 p.m.” j Mr. Walsh said the trip was a thoroughly | enjoyable one to make, while it demonI strated the manner in which long distances | could be covered with little or no incon- , venience. Such was the steadiness of the ' craft in flight that Mr. Walsh had his own • log of the trip all neatly written in pencil when the flying craft dropped on Wellingj ton Harbor. He gives the flying time between Wellington and Auckland Harbors ; as 5 hours 6 minutes.