GREAT EMPIRE FLIGHT

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20510, 28 May 1938, Page 27 (Supplement)

GREAT EMPIRE FLIGHT

26,649 MILES COVERED j CLOUSTON’S FINE ACHIEVEMENT j j EXGLAND-NEW ZEALAND & BACK | I I When Flying-Officer A. E. Clouston and his journalist co-pilot, Mr Victor Ricketts, landed at Croydon aerodrome recently they had travelled 26,649 miles —more than the earth's equatorial circumference —at an average speed, including all stops, of 101.5 I m.p.h. Between England and New , Zealand they set many new records, including England-Sydnev, EnglandNew Zealand, Australia-New Zealand, New Zealand-Australia, New ZealandEngland, England - Australia - England. They accomplished the first direct round trip England-New Zealand-Eng-land. Several of the times recorded by the aviators along their way are going forward to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale —world sporting aviation authority—for recognition “capital to capital” records. Meanwhile, here and in Australasia, air transport enthusiasts are guessing how soon the new record times may follow the fashion of earlier spectacular achievements over the Empire routes in becoming the everyday commonplace of the airliner. Already mails and passengers journey at rates far quicker than were attained as the reward of risks accepted and painful endurance not many years ago. New Zealand in a week may well be the regular schedule of the not far distant future. The aeroplane was again the famous de Havilland Comet monoplane racer, victor in the England-Australia speed and handicap races of October, 1934, and present record-holder — piloted by Flying-Officer Clouston — for the journey from London to Capetown and back. Built nearly four years ago, the Comet has again proved that it has the heels of all but the fastest modern civil aeroplane. Its times to South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, achieved without the aid of radio in navigation, will not easily be surpassed. Robbed of Record On the way out Clouston and Ricketts stopped to refuel five times before reaching Port Darwin, the total of 8£ hours spent on the ground just robbing them of the chance to beat [ the England-Australia record of 52£ hours which was set by the Comet in the course of the 1334 race. They I flew on by way of Sydney, where the | two engines were given a routine overhaul, to Blenheim, New Zealand— Clouston’s home town—landing there 4 days 8 hours 37 minutes out of London. They crossed the Tasman Sea in less than 9 hours. Including all stops up to that point they had averaged 126 m-p.h. Average flying speed had been 190 m.p.h. They spent one night, during whioh they fitted in three hours’ sleep, and 16i hours in all at Blenheim before beginning the return journey. Again they met a headwind, which made them 80 minutes late on the Tasman orossing. The long flight homeward, longer by nearly 300 miles than the outer trip because of the change of route to call at Marseilles, ended with a practically non-stop journey of 3300 miles from Basra to London. The aeroplane had flown against headwinds all of the way from Singapore to Iraq, bringing the average speed made good over that stretch down to 171 m.p.h. They stopped half an hour to refuel at Cairo. Headwinds obliged an intermediate precautionary halt at Marseilles, whflN the aviators spent only half an hour on the ground. Early in the evening the travel-scarred Comet and its two bearded and weary occupants glided down to a perfect landing at Croydon, and a wild welcome. In 3300 miles from Basra, Clouston and Ricketts subsisted on a few oranges and cold water. Standard Power-plant The homeward flight took 5 days 20 hours 12 minutes, including all stops. Average homeward flying speed was 184 m.p.h. In all, the historic journey lasted 10 days 21 hours 22 minutes from first take-off j at Gravesend to final touch-down at j croydon. « In its original form for the 1934 {race the Comet was powered with | two Gipsy-Six Series I high-compres-j sion engines especially tuned for rac-

ing, each giving up to 224 h-p. Last year the engines were changed for two standard Gipsy-Six Series II units driving de Havilland “1000 size” con-trollable-pitch airscrews. Again, therefore, the flight emphasises the qualities of the standard modern c.p. power-plant. The engines were not specially tuned, and the airscrews are exactly similar to the production model. Incidentally, this particular combination of Gipsy-Six Series II engine and “1000 size” airscrew made its first appearance in the Percival Vega Gull monoplane, which, piloted by C. W. A. Scott and Giles Guthrie, won the England-South Africa race last year.

Equipped for the New Zealand adventure, the Comet had tankage for 258 gallons of fuel, giving endurance of about 12 h hours or 2500 miles at 200 m.p.h., when consuming a little less than 21 gallons of fuel. Best cruising height is 7000 feet, with the engines running at 2150 r.p.m. and each developing 153 h.p. The routine overhaul at Sydney on the outward run, involving the examination of sparking plugs, valve tappets, fuel and oil filters, contact breakers, and other components, revealed that the engines were in perfect condition. 'On to New Zealand and all of the way back to England, they got no more attention. Clouston reports that they never, faltered or changed in tone. They were running as smoothly on arrival at Croydon as at the start, in spite of 143 hours' running in the dash across the world and back again. Appalling weather, including deluges of rain and thunderstorms over the

Bay of Bengal on the way out, failed to disturb their encouraging fullthroated song. A Master Pilot No praise is too high for Clouston’s magnificent navigation. He depended entirely on dead reckoning, and no calculation was seriously In error. The expected landmark almost invariably turned up exactly on the course the aeroplane was following. Difficulties of times, as the aeroplane crossed parallels of longitude at high speed, were countered by provision of one clock giving Greenwich mean time, and two watches, one giving G.M.T. and the other local time. Both men comment that generally the weather was “awful.”