England—India

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 73, 29 April 1929, Page 5

England—India

(British Official Wireless).

GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT 4130 Miles Flown Iii Two Days PARTICULARS OF FEAT

(Eeceived Tbis Day, Noon.j HUGBY, April 27. Great satisfaction has been etiused bv the fine accomplisliment of Squad-ron-Leader Jones-Williams and FlighfcLieutenant Jenkins in flving without stojr to India in the reniarkablo time oi jusfc over two days. AYhen the Fairev monoplane ivas sighted over Karaehi it was hoped tliat Bangalore, 1UIH) miles away, which was the intended destination, might be reaclied and tho world 'k non-stop long distance record of 4-160 miles held by tlie Ital ian airmen, Ferrarin and J)el Pretc, might l>e beaten. Sliglit disappointmont is felt tliat this has not been aeliieved. Little douht is expressed in aviation circles that the record would have been beaten but for tlie unexpected head wind against which tlie airmen struggled hetween Jask and Karaehi. This eau.sed inereased fuel eonsiunption and a eonsiderable reduction in speed. REMARKABLY ACCURATE. It appears that the aviation braneh of the meteorologicai offiee, which provided the weather information for the guidanee of the pilots, and whose foreeasts liave been remarkably accurate all th rough, judged from the reports they received that tliere was a following wind up to 36 miles per liour along the Persian Gulf up to 6000 feet. They then learned that the airmen were over Baghdad at 10,000 feet and presumablv were going to maintain that height. When later tlie average speed of the airmen dropped severely, the ehagrin of the weather experts may be imagined, for the gift of 30 miles an ) hour liad been unusual. This has suggested that in future flights a light weight portable wireless set should be earried, if only for reeeiving messages. The distance flown to Kaiaelii, however, was 4130 miles, which was short of the Italian record by only 334 miles. STILL MORE EFFICIENT. The pilot's feat, despite this disapjiointment is a striking success and it has brought the East nearer the West than any other previous ,'jouriiey in history, and it has a vital hearing on tlie future development of Empire airways and defence. On the design of this first experimental machine will he hased the construction of _ still more efficient air mail and miJitary m achilles, able to. cover vast distances without refi'elliiig. It is rcgarded ;s certain tliat development work on the iines successfully proved in this nonstop 'plane will shortly produce a mail carrying craft able to reach India from London regularly in little more than two davs, allowing for an intermediate bait in" Egvpt or Iraq. The extension of routes fartlier east will cventually take mails to Australia in five or six days. Tlie flglit lias provided most important military data. Tliose in charge of the defence of the Empire know now that war machines can be built capable in emergency of heuig flown to1 India in two long hops without being forced to alight on foreign territory.

THE FOOD SUPPLY. The machine is a heautifully streamlined monoplane. constructed hy the Fairev Aviation Co. at their works at Hayes, Middlesex, near London. It is propelled by a 53 h.p_. Napier Ljon water cooled engine, akin to the Napier racing engines which are fitted to the fastest aeroplane and fastest ear in the world, namelv tlie Snpermarme So, the monoplane flown at 3194 miles ix>r hour bv IGight-Lieut D'Arcv Gieig, and Major Segrave's Golden Arrow. _ Inside tlie plane's fuselage space is provided for a bed wliere tho pilot off dutv mav rest Rations earried for the journey were three thermos flasks of eoffce and tea, two one-gallon cans of weak tea, hve galons of drinking water, three weeks ir" rations, 50 tngue and hani sandwiches, clates, cliocolates, apples and oranges. '