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Aviation History
1929
1929 - 0490.PDF
MARCH 7, 1929 escaped injury. Their flight started on February 19, as an experimental mail flight and but for the mishap they would have reached their destination in eight days. The stage of 937 miles from Cairo to Basra was flown non-stop in 9 hrs 25 mins. Col Lindbergh's Accident. IT appears that Col. Lindbergh suffered a dislocation of the shoulder in his crash on February 27 at Mexico City. His fianc e, Miss Ann Morrow, was uninjured. He was flying again the next day, however, with one hand, in a commercial monoplane, accompanied by Miss Morrow. Light Plane Flight to India MRS. SPENCER CLEAVER, daughter of the Finance Minister in Northern Ireland, is planning to fly to India in a " Gipsy- Moth," starting this week. Her programme provides for a return flight within six weeks. She will be accompanied by aa Imperial Airways pilot. She has been flying as a passenger for many years, and is now learning to fly with Col. Henderson at Croydon. Business Air Tour MR. VAN LEAR BLACK, the American millionaire, who is engaged on a 35,000-mile flight to South Africa and the Far East, left Bulawayo on March 1, and arrived at Pretoria. His machine is a Fokker monoplane with three Wright " Whirlwinds." Riga-New York Non-Stop ? A REPRESENTATIVE of a group of American capitalists is in Riga to discuss plans for a non-stop flight from that place to New York. Queer Air Companion WHEN officials of Imperial Airways recently opened a small flat box which had been left by a passenger, they found it contained a live tortoise wrapped in pink cotton wool, and with the back of its shell studded with rubies, emeralds and other coloured stones. Further inquiries revealed that the box belonged to a woman who had flown from Paris to London in the 12-noon air liner last Saturday. No applica- tion has yet been made for the pet. Seadromes in Atlantic WORK is to begin immediately on the construction of artificial islands in the Atlantic a.s seadromes for aircraft .Henry J. Gielow, Inc., have announced this statement in New York, according to the Times correspondent there Kight of these are proposed, the first to be laid between America and Bermuda, This will be 1,200 ft. long, 200 ft wide at the end, and 400 ft. at the centre. The landing platform will be 100 ft. above the level of the ocean, and the base will extend to a depth of 50 ft. below the point at which it could be affected by wave action. The construction will be on stilts and anchored by chains. By Air to the Races IMPERIAL AIRWAYS are to operate services of Handley- Page (Napier) air liners between London and the provincial race meetings during the coming season. The first of these race specials will be run from London to Liverpool for the Grand National Spanish Airship Tested THE first modern airship built in Spain made a successful trial flight of two hours at Guadalajara on February 24. The designer is Maj Maldonado, an officer of engineers. The airship is about 178 ft. in length and about 40 ft. in diameter. It will be used as a school for pilots. There are two engines of 200 h.p., imported from Czechoslovakia American Tour CAPT. W. N. LANCASTER, the pilot who flew to Australia with Mrs. Keith Miller in an Avro " Avian " (" Cirrus ") last year, has started an air tour from New York to the Carribean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Schneider Trophy Race THE Royal Mail Steam Packet Company announce that arrangements are being made for their South American liner Almanzara, a vessel of 16,000 tons, to make a special week-end cruise in the Solent on Saturday, September 7, to Monday. September 9, to view the Schneider Trophy Race. Passengers on board the R.M.S.P. cruising vessel Arcadian which will be returning to Southampton from the northern capitals, and the R.M.S.P. Araguaya, sailing for the Mediter- ranean on September 7. will also have the opportunity of seeing the race. Easter Air Meeting. AT the conclusion of the Easter flying meeting of the Cinque Ports Flying Club an informal annual club dinner will be held at "the Majestic Hotel, Folkestone, at 9 p.m., on Saturdav, March 30. THE "ITALIA" AIRSHIP ENQUIRY Adverse THE Italian Commission of Enquiry on the disaster to the Italia airship, which crashed whilst returning from its Sight to the North Pole in May last year when commanded by General Nobile, has sent its report to Signor Mussolini. It is in three sections :—(1) Dealing with the causes that led to the loss of the airship ; (2) with the conduct of the sur- vivors after disaster ; (3) with the relief work. On the first point the Commission find that the loss of the airship arose from a fault in handling, and was also due to the composition of the crew and the use made of them. The Commission holds that the fault in handling was that of the commander. With regard to the second section the Commission unanimously affirms that the conduct of Majors Mariano and Zappi cannot be in any way censured, but is, on the oontrary, worthy of praise. As to the rescue of General Nobile, the Commission is agreed upon the point that there is no acceptable justification for his act, and that it can be explained only, but not justified, by the condition of physical and moral depression in which he was—a condition which did not allow him to estimate at its right value and in its consequences what his action meant, especially in view of the pressing invitation of the Swedish airman Lundborg. With regard to the relief work, the Commission thinks that everything possible was done for the discovery, assistance and rescue of the survivors, and for the tracing of the airship. This work was accomplished smartly by the Italians and the efficient co-operation of foreigners. It constitutes an admirable example of human solidarity, which culminated in the fortunate cruise of the Krassin and the generous sacrifice of Captain Roald Amundsen. The Daily Telegraph's correspondent in Prague stated on March 4 that the Ccskeslovo published statements by Prof. Karel Behounek, the Czechoslovak member of the Italia's crew. Dr. Behounek told the Commission, he states, that the action of Zappi and Mariano in abandoning Malmgren was inexcusable. He^criticises the composition of the Finding Commission, which consists entirely of naval officers, only one of whom, l)e Pine:io. is a flying expert. He roundly declares that the object is to exonerate the naval participants in the expedition, Zappi and Mariano, at the expense of General Nobile All the non-Italian witnesses, says Dr. Behounek, gave evidence exonerating General Nobile, whereas the Italians concentrated an attack on him. Especially did Cecioni, who said : " (ieneral Nobile's inca- pacity to handle the situation and the incompetent steering of the airship were entirely responsible for the disaster, which could have been avoided." In reply to the three questions on which the Commission invited him to express himself. Dr. Behounek said : " As to the responsibility for the disaster, the wreck was so sudden that any measures, to avoid it were impossible." Asked regarding'General Nobile's flight from the " Red Tent," Dr. Behounek said that in the circumstances the rescue of General Nobile alone was the only possible course. Lundborg gave similar evidence. The Italia airship flew to Kings Bay, Spitzbergen. in May last year from Italy, and after preliminary nights it set off for the North Pole and reached it on May 23 shortly after midnight. Flags were dropped and wireless messages transmitted to Italy. On the return flight strong head winds were encountered and a crash followed off North East Land. There was a silence lasting a fortnight, then wireless communication was made by the supply ship, Cilia di Milan" • It was found that the crew were in two parties. General Nobile was with some who had crashed with the gondola, and the remainder had drifted with the envelope and were never seen again. Aircraft of many nationalities joined in the rescue work. General Nobile was flown to safety by Lieut. Lundborg, and the others were rescued by ship. Nobile was badly injured. Maj. Zappi, Maj. Mariano and Dr. Malmgren, the Swede, attempted to reach the mainland on foot. The former were rescued, but the latter died on the way. 196
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