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Aviation History
1935
1935 - 1137.PDF
MAY 16, 1935. FLIGHT. 539 PRIVATE IT —V- FLYING LORD SEMPILL, RETURNING FROM AUSTRALIA, HAS AN UNENVIABLE EXPERIENCE IN the course of my Australian and Far-Eastern flying tour I have often had recourse to the seashore as a land ing-place, and in many cases there have been no alterna tives. One can never be sure, however, that the chosen spot will provide a firm surface, and when I had, perforce, to come down on the beach near Roebourne, the machine became deeply embedded in the soft sand. Unfortunately, in this instance the tide was coming in, and it became necessary to move the machine farther up the beach in order to avoid the risk of its being washed away. This was quite a problem, as it was obviously impossible to move it under its own power. I decided at last that the only thing to do was to dig three tracks—two for the main undercarriage wheels and one for the tail wheel—and to run the machine on to firmer sand with the aid of the engine. As I had not provided myself with an entrenching tool I looked about for a large sea shell, and eventually succeeded, after some very hard work, in accomplishing the necessary excavation. All this time it was raining in torrents, and I had taken off my clothes in order to keep them dry. I was working under most difficult conditions, as the high wind was lashing up the sand and debris which lay on the shore, but at last I got the machine to move along these tracks on to a harder surface. Unfortunately, the gale increased in force, and, although I was clear of sea for the time being, I was by no means out of trouble. The wind by this time was blowing at an average velocity of seventy miles an hour, and even if 1 could have safely left the controls, it would, in the circumstances, have been impossible to have held the machine by pickets : either they would have been pulled out of the ground, or, if they had held, the wires or wing fittings must have given way. There was, for a period of something over half an hour, only one thing to do, and that was to fly the machine "on the ground" into the teeth of the storm. I had to maintain about 1,600 r.p.m. in order to keep my position, for as soon as the revolutions fell much below that figure I found that 1 was being forced back into the sea. Out of Danger AT times I began to wonder whether it would be possible •**• to save the machine, but fortunately, after a time, the wind slackened and I was able to taxi higher up the beach to a more sheltered spot above the high-water line. The wind still continued to blow strongly, and although I was by this time very tired with my exertions, it was necessary to dig the wheels well into the sand to make the machine as secure as possible. Towards evening the gale abated, and I was glad to settle down to sleep along side the aeroplane. During this trying period I had seen no one, and apparently there was no habitation within fifty miles of the spot. The only witness of my predicament was a lonely kangaroo, which came down to the shore and spent five minutes looking at the machine. In the morning it was calm, and I proceeded to try and get rid of some of the sand which had got into all parts of the structure. I counted myself fortunate in having a metal airscrew, as, had it been otherwise, it must have been completely destroyed after this experience, and further flying would have been impossible. As it was, the propeller and several other parts were badly marked by Fighting a Gale —on the Ground the sand. However, I was soon able to take off and made for Port Headland, where I obtained some assistance to give the machine a good clean down. It was necessary to take the engine cowling right off, as the sand had got in everywhere. Taking off later for Broome I was met by Captain Gregory, one of the leading men in the pearl-fishing industry. He represents, among other interests, the Vacuum Oil organisation, and had arranged to refuel my machine. On the two nights I stayed at Broome my machine had to be moored out, but fortunately the weather had improved. I had hoped, with the assistance of Mr. Male, who is actively engaged in the pearling business, to see at first hand something of the methods employed. I was, however, to be disap pointed, as during my stay it was impossible to launch a boat. An Emergency Qround MY next stop was Derby, where I intended to refuel before continuing my flight northwards on the last stage to Wyndham, from which place I had arranged to take off across the Timor Sea. I found the aerodrome at Derby was situated on the marshes some distance from the town, and, while it is quite serviceable when dry, it becomes very muddy after heavy rain or after a high tide. After refuelling at Derby I made for Drysdale River Mis sion, which lies at the foot of Napier Broome Bay, some 400 miles distant by the coast route. Leaving Derby one passes over country covered with bush and somewhat mountainous, but entirely uninhabited. Eventually I arrived over the Mission Station, and inspected from the air a strip of land that had been prepared when search was being made for the German flyers who were lost in that region, and also for Kingsford-Smith. No aeroplane had ever landed on this before, but, as it was obviously suitable for the purpose, and no large bushes had been allowed to grow up, I had no difficulty in making a good landing. 1 was met here by the Benedictine Fathers and a large number of natives, and was able to deliver news from Broome and Derby which they would not have re ceived in the ordinary way for six months or so. I had a long talk with the Mission Authorities, and learned a good deal of the work they are doing among the natives. In the evening there was organised in my honour a large native dance, which, although very com plicated, was quite interesting. I was also introduced to two natives who had won fame as being responsible for the finding of the lost German airmen referred to above. Although at this point I was farther north than Wyndham it was necessary to proceed there to refuel before taking off across the long sea passage. The Homeward Journey ONE has the choice of three aerodromes at Wyndham, but all are of the mud-pan type and suffer from any excess of rain. Various people in the locality had turned out to meet me, including the interesting family of Mr. Durack, who is one of the pioneers of the Kimberly district nearby. After taking on a full load of petrol I was ready to start off for Koepang on the homeward journey. While in Australia I had flown well over 20,000 miles, my '' Puss Moth'' having carried me faithfully round the entire continent. The return flight to England, covering, as it did, practically the same route as the outward journey would prove, I am afraid, of less interest to my readers, although it provided me with many further valuable experiences.
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