Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Thursday 16 April 1936, page 11


THREE MEN MISSING IN

AEROPLANE

Days Overdue in Desert

GRAVE FEARS FOR SAFETY

No News from Searching Machines

A Royal Australian Air Force machine, with three men on board, left Camooweal (Q.) early on Monday morning on its way to Hall's Creek (W.A.), and has not

been seen or heard of since.

Grave fears are entertained for the safety of the pilot

(Flight-Lieutenant W. L. Hely), previously of Point Cooke, and of Leading Aircraftsmen Walkington and Sherwood, of Richmond (N.S.W.). The men are now three days

overdue.

Another Air Force machine has been despatched f i ora Charleville (Q.) to search in Northern Australia, and West Australian Airways and Qantas Imperial Airways have been asked to co-operate. So far, however, nothing has been reported, but It is understood that the missing machine carries rations and water sufficient to last the crew for six or seven

days.

The secretary to the Air Board (Major P. E Coleman) received a message last night from a pilot of West Australian Airways stating that he had found no trace of the Air Force machine between Newcastle Waters and Wave Hill, where, it is thought, Flight-Lieutenant Hely might have made a forced landing. Major Cole-man late last night had not heard from the relief aeroplane, which left Charlrville yesterday morning, piloted by FlightLieutenant A. G. Carr, and which was expected to reach Newcastle Waters last evening or this morning.

The missing machine, a DH89 DragonRapide, is not equipped with wireless, but is carrying full desert supplies and equipment. The pilot and ah craftsmen were making for Port Hedland, on the north-west coast of Western Australia, to carry out aerial survey work in conjunction with the North Australia Survey Committee Their machine was heavily loaded with photographic supplies and other equipment. v

From its base at Richmond (NSW the Dragon Rapide flew to Camooweal, the star ting point for the long flight across Central Australia. Flight-Lieutenant Hely left Camooweal at 6 a m. on Monday, intending to fly to Hall's Creek (W.A.) by way of Newcastle Waters and Wave Hill, a distance of approximately 800 miles As the machine has a flying range of only 500 miles, a landing at either Newcastle Waters, or Wave Hill was necessary for refuelling. in either case the party was due at Hall's Creek on Tuesday.

The Dragon Rapide, however, has not

appeared at either station, and Its whereabouts

are a complete mystery. FlightLieutenant Hely might have been forced down between Camooweal and Newcastle Waters, or, with a following wind, he may have tried to go right on to Wave Hill without stopping. Thus his machine may be anywhere in the great tract of desert country stretching three-quarters of the way across North Australia.

The relief aeroplane, a Gannett twinengined machine, in charge of FlightLieutenant Carr, left Laverton on Saturday to resume the aerial geophysical survey of North Australia. Its base was to be at Cloncurry (Q.). The Gannett has also two mechanics aboard, in addition to the pilot, and is also fully equipped for

desert flying.

The Dragon-Rapide has a cruising speed of 130 miles an hour, and a maximum speed, at 1,000ft., of 160 miles an hour. A biplane type, it has an enclosed pilot cabin in the nose. Maximum weight is 5,200.

Flight-Lieutenant Hely was recently posted to No. 3 Squadron, R.A.A.F., from the training school at Point Cooke. He is R single man, aged 25 years, and is considered a most efficient pilot Aircraftsman Walkington, of Richmond, is a married man. He has been stationed at Richmond for six years. Aircraftsman Sherwood, also a married man, has been stationed at Richmond for three years, When one of the fitters on the Southampton flyingboat, which was engaged on coastal survey work at Normanton (Q.) in November, became ill, Sherwood was sent to replace him. He remained on the flying-boat until a survey of a proposed route for sea-planes between Darwin and Brisbane was completed.

One of the Dragon Rapide machines similar to that missing in North

Australia