CLIPPER ARRIVES

Taranaki Daily News, 17 September 1940, Page 8

CLIPPER ARRIVES

By Telegraph—Press Association

INTERESTING VOYAGE FIVE "FIRST FLIGHTERS"

Auckland, Last Night. Completing her first flight from San Francisco with fare-paying passengers, 17 in number the Pan American Airways American Clipper arrived at Auckland a little after 3 p.m. to-day after a fine passage from Noumea. Captain K. V. Beer, who had flown the route previously as first officer, was in command. Among the passengers were five who have made a hobby of "first flights" on trans-ocean and other air routes. Easily the first of these is Mrs. Clara Adams, Long Island, New York, who has a remarkable record in air travel. Representative Complement. Others are Mr. James McVitte, Chicago, an industrialist, Mr. William Hoch, Boston, a business man, and Mr. H. L. Stuart, head of a large Chicago investment banking firm. The passengers described the trip as most enjoyable in every way. At the crossing of the international date line between Canton Island and Noumea King Nepture, impersonated by Captain Beer, held his court and everybody had to submit to the usual initiation ceremony, which provided a great deal of fun for everybody. Wreatli Dropped in Sea. Earlier as the same Clipper was passing south-east of Howland Island Mrs. Adams, as honorary vice-president of the Women's International Association of Aeronautics, cast into the sea a large wreath of bronzed magnolia leaves in tribute to Amelia Putnam, American aviatrix, who was lost in that part of the Pacific in 1933 with her co-pilot, Fred Noonan. When the American Clipper leaves Auckland on Wednesday morning for Noumea on the first stage of her flight to San Francisco she will carry a number of passengers apart from some of those who arrived to-day and are returning to the United States. Several of them arrived from Sydney by the Tasman Empire Airways service at the week-end.