EXPLORATION BY AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 November 1921, Page 3

EXPLORATION BY AIR.

FLIGHT QVER GREAT FIRE. Sydney, Nov. 9. Compared with the laborious P ro ß overland by car or on a bicycle, which means he has hitherto employed, Mr. ra “‘ cis Birtles has, by aeroplane, completed the last stage of his rough survey of the country to be traversed by the proposed NorthSouth railway in remarkably quick time. From Adeliade he penetrated far up into Central Australia, beyond Alice Springs, which lie in the Mac Donnell ranges, at the southern end of the Northern TerritoryThe return journey between Alice Springsand Oodnadatta, one of the largest inland settlements to the north-west of. Lake Eyre, entailed travelling for some distance over a raging fire, which was devouring miles and miles of spinifex grass, and in the midst of a violent storm. “From the aeroplane,” he declared afterwards, “the deep orange curtain of flame seemed to be encircled by a complete rainbow, apparently lying flat on the earth far down below. Stinging stabs of rain and hail struck us out of an atmosphere of intense heat. The heavy work it was compelled to do made the engine overheat. Pilot Briggs was having a hot time in the cockpit, and was busy controlling the plunging dives of the ’plane. The peals of thunder could be heard even above the mighty roar of the engine. We descended to 1000 feet in order to cool the engine, and found rain, fire, dust and sand swirling along in a chaos. The ’plane was fighting stubbornly over the invisible bulwarks made by the air currents driven upwards by breakaway cliffs and barren hills.” Despite its dangers and discomforts, Mr. Birtles is convinced that in the future all survey parties for railway purposes will be preceded .by a party in an aeroplane. “J am confident,” he said, “that if an aeroplane survey party is used in connection with the North-South railway line, hundreds of thousands of pounds in construction will be saved. I could, see on this visit how enormous a saving would have been effected if the survey of the present line from Quorn to Oodnadatta had been made on the advice of a man in the air.”