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Aviation History
1919
1919 - 1578.PDF
DECEMBER II, 1919 THE FLIGHT TO AUSTRALIA JUST as this issue of FLIGHT goes to Press comes the ex pected news of the safe arrival at Port Darwin in Australia on Wednesday last of the Vickers-Vimy-Rolls, piloted by Captain Ross-Smith—and the winning of the ^10,000 prize offered by the Australian Government. As a matter of fact the time limit for the flight, 720 consecutive hours, allowing for the difference in time, expired on the morning of to-morrow (Friday), so the Vickers is well inside the period set. Owing to the delay in the transmission of 1 ong-distance messages we were only able to record in our last issue the arrival of the machine at Allahabad and its departure for Calcutta on November 28. Continuing his steady progress. Capt. Foss-Smith arrived at Akyab at 2 p.m. on November 29, and at Rangoon (Burma) at midday on the 30th, three-quarters of an hour before Poulet, on his twin-engined Rhone-Caudron, arrived. The latter had flown from Calcutta to Akyab on November 28. The two pilots arranged to fly in company to Bangkok, but Poulet was first away on December 1, and so was enabled to reach the destination first; Captain Ross-Smith, however, landed at 1 pjn. The greatest, assistance was given to the aviators by Prince Piteanoluke and the Siamese Aviation Corps. On December 2, the Vickers-Vimy-Rolls left Bangkok at 7 a.m., and arrived at Singora at 1 p.m., being escorted during the first 50 miles|by[four Siamese machines. After the first the Australian Defence Department had arranged for the Royal Australian Navy, when warned by competitors, to maintain a patrol between these points. The Other Competitors There are now three other machines on the way to Aus tralia. On December 4, Captain C. E. Howell, D.S.O., M.C., D.S.C., accompanied by Mr. Henry Fraser, left Hounslou at 9.34 a.m. on his Martinsyde, fitted with 275 h.p. Royce engine. Previous to starting he receiving the following :•— From Prince Albert: " May you have good fortune in your sporting journey." From Mr. Winston Churchill: "I wish you the best of fortune in your sporting attempt." From Maj.-Gen. Sir F. H. Sykes, Controller-General of Civial Aviation : " Every best wish to you in your venture." The machine arrived safely at Lyons, and on December 5 reached Pisa at 4 p.m. Padua was reached on December 6, and then bad weather entailed a day's delay, but the machine went on to Taranto on December 8. The Blackburn Kangaroo, which started from Hounslow on November 21, and was reported at Rome on November 29, was at Taranto at 2 p.m., on December 3, and arrived at Suda Bay. She left on December 8 for Egypt, but when 40 miles from land an oil pipe on the port engine broke, necessitating a return to Suda Bav. AUSTRALIA SketCh_Map of the England-Australia Flight two hours' flying, the machine had to negotiate a heavy monsoon, but got through safely, although it was found impossible to make the petrol last out until Singapore could be reached. Poulet, who left Bangkok two hours later, was also caught in the storm, and was blown back to Rangoon, 350 miles behind his starting point. In landing, the tail-skid of the Vickers-Vimy-Rolls was broken, but this was repaired next day. During the night the weather was squally, and Captain Ross-Smith and his crew had an exciting time holding down the machine. Petrol arrived during the evening of December 3, but it was then raining too hard to put it into the tanks. How ever the next day—being the pilot's birthday—it was deter mined to make an effort to reach Singapore and this flight was made through the rain. He arrived at Kalidjatti, near Bandoeng, West Java, at 4 p.m., on December 6. A brief message stated that Captain Ross-Smith was passing through Biwa (Island of Soembawa) on the night of December 8, and that he was expected to be in Australia on Wednesday. In order to minimise the risk to competitors while flying over the sea from the Island of Timor to Port Darwin, The flight was successfully accomplished on the starboard engine alone, and a safe landing effected. The machine itself was undamaged. This flight followed on a successful flight of 627 miles from Taranto to Suda Bay on a land machine. The prize was won by Capt. Ross-Smith when he landed at Port Darwin, but the Australian authorities have organised an overland route to Melbourne, with 11 stages in the 2,396 miles. The suggested stages and distances from Port Darwin in the journey are: Katherine, (170 m.), Newcastle Waters (405 m.), Anthony Lagoon (530 m.), Avon Downs 730 m.), all in the north territory; Clonturry (915 m.), Longreach (1,230 m.), Charleville (1,473 m.), in Queensland; Bourke 1,728 m.), Narromine 1,936 m.), Cootamtmdra (2,111 m.), in New South Wales, Melbourne (2,396 m.), Victoria. The crew of the Vickers-Vimy-Rolls consists of Capt. Ross Smith, M.C, D.F.C., pilot, Lieut. K. M. Smith, assistant- pilot, Sergt. W. H. Shiers, A.F.M., and Sergt. J. M. Bennett, M.S.M., A.F.M. The machine, of which a description, with photographs and scale-drawings, appeared in FLIGHT of Nov. 6 last, is fitted with two 350 h.p. Rolls-Royce engines. I58O
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