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1,050 MILES OVER
SEA IN SMALL PLANE
Flight From New Caledonia
YOUNG AIRMAN LANDS IN
QUEENSLAND
Brisbane, November 22.
Victor Roffey, the 23-years-old
Central Queensland airman,' flew
1.050 miles across the open sea
from New Caledonia to Rockhamp-
jton in a Moth plane yesterday. He
was in the air for 11* hours.
Roffey said that there were clouds
throughout the trip, and once he flew
through a storm which he tried to
dodge by climbing to 10,000 feet.
This young airman, who began fly
ing only ten months ago, took off at
5 ajn. from Ouaco. New Caledania,
about 150 miles from Noumea, towards
tfie north end of the island. He
reached Marlborough, 63 miles north
of Rockhampton. at 3 pjn.. and Connor
Park, Rockhampton at 450. When he
set out he carried 72 gallons of petrol
and three and a half gallons of oil,
weighing about 850 lb. He said that
although the place where he took off
was email and bumpy, be got off the
ground safely, and the machine took
the weight much better than he had
expected.
Roffey brought with him the first
air maU from New Caledonia.
Fighting Storm
Describing his trip, Roffey said that
when he met the big storm about four
hours out he climbed to 10,000 feet,
but, finding- the conditions there no
better, he dropped to 7,000 feet, and
battled his way through. He then
sighted the Great Barrier Reef, and
the rest of the flight was uneventful.
He said that the storm and a strong
southerly wind blew him some 60 miles
out of his course, and he hit the coast
near Yeppoon. He struck inland and
followed the railway to Marlborough,
where he had refreshments.
Asked if be had any fear when
crossing the ocean in the event of en
gine trouble, Roffey said that before
the flight he had given the plane a
thorough test by flying round the is
land for six hours.
Miss Grace Johns, a notable South Australian sports woman, who died yesterday from in juries received in a fall at Weigall Oval on Saturday. In the photograph she is shown on Teddy Bear, which fell dead while she was riding him from the arena at the Royal Sfwwgr^ujnflc, in 1929, after compet ing in a hurdles event. Help
Miss Grace Johns,
a notable South
Australian sports
woman, who died
yesterday from in
juries received in
a fall at Weigall
Oval on Saturday.
In the photograph
she is shown on
Teddy Bear, which
fell dead while
she was riding
him from the
arena at the Royal
Sfwwgr^ujnflc, in
1929, after compet
ing in a hurdles
event.
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