The Trial Flight.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 59, Issue 229, 30 October 1930, Page 5

The Trial Flight.

(British Official Wireless.)

Discussion Of Available Facts.

Reoeived This Dav Noon RUGBY, Oct. 29, The inquiry into the R101 disaster was mainiy engaged to-day in discussiiig the available facts regarding. the only trial flight the airship uhderwent after her structural alterations, From statements made hy Sir "William Jowitt it transpived that the trial was shortened from 24 hours as originally arranged to 16 on a suggestion from the experts at Cardington^ vtho knew that Lord Thomson was anxious to push on with the departure for India, and who realised that the early completion of the (trial would give more time to prepare the airship at the mooring mast for the India journey. The minutes of a meeting of the Air Mihistry showed that Lord Thomson, while asking for an early start, told Wing-Commander Colmore, "You must not allow your judgment to be swayed by my nakura! anxiety to get off quickly." He added,, "There is to be no rush on my account." The trial flight, in Wing-Cotamander Golmore's view, was quite satisfactory, with the exoeption of an engine failnre, due to a defective fin of the oil codler, whidh was replaced. Sir Sefton Brancker issued a certificate of airfvorthincss on October 2. Sir Williana Jowitt pointed out that during the flight between Cardington and Beauvais it was significant that not a single S.O.S. was received from tlie R101, nor any message indicating that there was auything wrong or any tronhle. Two main features in the experts report on the examination of the wreckage were that no part of the main structure wiis hroken in the air and the fa-tal nose dive was made at an angle of 15 to 25 degrees from Uie horizontal.