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Aviation History
1928
1928 - 0160.PDF
MARCH 1, 1928 Bert:ffinkier \ ASK. ENGLAND 3* (17-* ** IN last week's issue of FLIGHT we gave a complete statistical account of Mr. " Bert " Hinkler's record flight from London to Port Darwin, Australia. This week we are able to follow up with the full story and the outstanding experiences of the pilot up to his landing at this home town, Bundaberg. In this town its now most prominent citizen made his first attempts to fly when a boy on home made gliders. Now, appropriately enough, the success of the great flight reflects upon it, too. It has been put on the map, and its name will always be echoed when the history of aviation is surveyed. The obvious danger of the lonely sea crossing of 600 miles which dramatically ended the great flight gave everyone a natural apprehension until it was safely conquered, and then the admiration for '' Bert '' Hinkler was the more profound. The night before he left Bima he had practically no sleep owing to the annoying attentions of mosquitoes in the native hut in which he slept and on which rain pelted down. At dawn he started, spurred partly by the comforts of civilisation that awaited at Port Darwin 1,000 miles awav. s 1, A it '?..*• ^01 • ? •-••• * J // 1 This is the A.D.C. " Cirrus " 30/80 H.P. engine which played such a magnificent part in the record flight to Australia in 16 days. Despite the gruelling test to which it was subjected it ran faultlessly, and never gave "Bert" Hinkler the slightest trouble from .London to Bundaberg. Perhaps its most exhaustive test of reliability came on the vital crossing of the Timor sea after it had already flown 10,000 miles. A little difficulty was experienced in climbing through the mountains to the south of the landing place at Bima. No food or water was carried on the sea trip, and his only refresh- ment before starting was a drink of water Dutch officials and natives gave him assistance there. Clouds gave trouble over the sea, but he maintained an altitude of 2,000 ft., and a speed of 92 m.p.h. A natural anxiety was felt by him when the last of the Sunda Islands was left and 600 miles or so of open sea faced him, but the sound of his " Cirrus " engine was very reassuring, and he had actually flown over the sea all the morning from Bima. His compass reckoning proved very accurate, and Australia was sighted at 4 p.m. Port Darwin Following the coast he reached Port Darwin, coming in over the jungle and circling the Ross Smith Memorial twice, at 6 p.m. (Australian Time) on February 22. Great crowds had waited hours for him at Fannie Bay, the landing ground, three miles from the town, and when at 5 p.m. the cruiser Melbourne, which was steering north towards Hinkler's supposed track, wirelessed that the " Avian " was not in view many of them went home very disappointed. On behalf of the Commonwealth Government the Govern- ment Resident welcomed him. He looked well and sun- burnt, but very tired. That evening the Civic Authorities and Returned Spldiers' Association gave a dinner in his honour. In a speech Hinkler said that the most critical day of the whole trip was the first, when he flew for three hours in darkness before reaching Rome from London on a non-stop flight. No engine trouble had been experienced in the least, and it was the fleeting daylight on each long stage that gave most anxiety. This eventually caused a forced landing in the desert in North Africa, where natives approached him with uncertain attitude until he made them friendly bv the gift of cigarettes. Missing After remaining at Port Darwin to rest for two days Hinkler took off on February 24 with the intention of reaching Bundaberg in two long hops. The first of these attempted was to Cloncurry, a distance of 800 miles but at mid-day the heat was so intense that it forced him to rise to 10,000 ft. But at this altitude he found dust storms and haze, which limited visibility, and head-winds. Then a forced landing was decided upon and made successfully beside a windmill station about 200 miles north-west of Camooweal, after a flight of 600 miles from Port Darwin. 140
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