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Aviation History
1924
1924 - 0347.PDF
MAY 29, 1924 PROGRESS IN THE BIG FLIGHTS ROUND-THE-WORLD FLIGHTS PROGRESS in the round-the-world flights during the past week has not been very great. In the first place, Squadron- Leader MacLaren had only added another 350 miles to his credit when he once again met with misfortune. This time his mishap was of a more serious nature, resulting in the complete disablement of the machine, but fortunately without hurt to himself or crew. Secondly, the three American pilots—Lieuts. Smith, Wade and Nelson—having completed, in two stages, the 900 miles to Tokio, are now resting and having their Douglas biplanes overhauled and having new " Liberty " engines installed. They are, therefore, likely to remain in Tokio for some time. Having had the new (low-compression) Napier " Lion " engine installed in the Vickers "Vulture" amphibian, Squadron-Leader MacLaren and crew left Calcutta very early in the morning on Wednesday, May 21, and after flying for four hours, during which they encountered several heavy rainstorms, landed on the golf course at Akyab, 350 miles from Calcutta. It was originally intended to leave Akyab for Rangoon on the following morning, but owing to terrific cyclonic weather conditions the flight had to be postponed. On Saturday, May 24, they started off, but they had not been in the air more than five minutes when the machine crashed into the harbour. The " Vulture " was badly smashed, but Mac Laren and his companions escaped uninjured. It is of interest to note that it was not far from this spot—at Chittagong, 170 miles to the north—that Capt. MacMillan and Capt. Malins came to grief during their world flight attempt in 1922. There is a possibility that Squadron-Leader MacLaren will be able to resume the flight, for it is reported that an offer has been made for the transport, on U.S. destroyers now in the Far East in connection with the American flight, of the spare machine at Tokio. This is an extremely sporting offer on the part of the Americans—who are, in a way, rivals in the world flight—and one that is much appreciated and which would considerably help matters. Last week we left the American team at Yetorofu (North Japan), where they arrived, in bad weather, on May 19. They were held up here by stormy weather for two days. However, on May 22 (Thursday) they left Yetorofu at 5^30 a.m., and after passing over Kushiro landed at Minato at 10.40 a.m. After a stop here of nearly two hours, they resumed their journey, and arrived at Kasumigaura naval aerodrome (just outside Tokio) at 5.40 p.m. PARIS-TOKIO FLIGHT LIEUT. PELLETIER D'OISY, who came to grief in a bunker at the thirteenth hole on the Shanghai golf course, on May 20, will not be prevented from resuming his journey to Tokio for the lack of a machine, for he has received several offers of a new mount from several quarters. Besides the French Military Breguet at Hanoi, which the French authorities ordered to be sent to him at Shanghai, the British authorities at Hong Kong offered to send a new machine for d'Oisv to fly. The F rench Department of Military Aeronautics also en deavoured to make arrangements for the securing of one of four Breguet machines purchased some time back by the Chinese Government, and which are stationed at an aero drome some 60 miles from Shanghai. Another offer, made by Lu Yung-kyang, Governor of Chekiang, of a Breguet (also fitted with a Lorraine-Dietrich engine) has been accepted by Lieut. d'Oisy, who is making arrangements for an early get-away. This machine has not the fuel capacity possessed by his former machine, and so the rest of the journey will have to be made in much shorter stages. Officially, Lieut. d'Oisy's flight is regarded as having ended at Shanghai—sufficient and satisfactory proof having, up to that point, been given as to the possibility of flying from Europe to the Far East in a single machine carrying its own spares. Lieut. d'Oisy, however, is being given every facility officially, for continuing his journey. Lisbon-Macao Flight. THE Portuguese aviators, Capt. Brito Paia and Lieut Sarmento, have purchased from the R.A.F. in India a "D.H. 9" machine to replace the Breguet, which crashed at Pipar on May 7. They have been carrying out test flights on this machine, and will resume their journey to Macao without delav. THE FLIGHT ROUND AUSTRALIA' THE DISTANCE FROM LONOON TO ANY OF THE CITIES SHOWN ON THIS MAP IS NOT GREATER THAN THAT OF THE FLIGHT ROUND AUSTRALIA (8.500 MILES1 RECENTLY MADF ON A FAIRFY uT.D. SEAPLANE WITH A ROLLS-ROYCE "EAGLE"ENniNF FROM the annexed map of the Great 8,500 miles Flight round Australia, the distance travelled in the time, 90 hours, by Wing-Commander Goble and Flying Officer Mclntyre on the trusty Fairey machine, equipped with one of the wonderful Rolls-Royce engines, may be appreciated by comparison with other well-known world centres shown on the sketch map. Not only has the Rolls-Royce-Fairey machine in this un Mclntyre it would appear that it could ' ' carry on " for another jaunt round Australia if necessity arose. The message reads : " Thanks cablegram. Despite age of machine and long exposure rain, sun and tropics, performance Fairey alway excellent. Seaplane quite fit for any further service.'' We feel sure Lieut. d'Oisy will be proud to add his con- precedented flight stood up to its prodigious mileage, but gratulations to those of the thousands who have already from a cablegram just received from Messrs. Goble and expressed their admiration of this great performance. 347
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