Papuan Reconnaissance by Air

Unknown Central

N. Guinea

AN aerial reconnaissance over the newly discovered territory in Central Papua will be carried out almost immediately by Mr. Ivan Champion and Mr. Jack Hides.

It is reported that a Guinea Airways machine will be used, and that the object of the flight is to enable Mr. Hides to point out to Mr. Champion the leading features of the country which Mr. Hides penetrated last year and which Mr. Cham pion will pass through during his forth coming exploratory patrol (referred to in the December issue of the Pacific Islands Monthly) .

Mr. Hides, after extended sick leave, left for Papua by the Montoro on January 11. He has not yet recovered his health but he was glad to comply with the wish of the Lieutenant-Governor (Sir Hubert Murray) that he should make available to Mr. Champion all possible data which might assist Mr. Champion in the contem plated patrol.

This aeroplane reconnaissance, as far as we -know, is the first of the kind that has been attempted over this difficult and prac tically unknown terrain, and the result of the flight will be awaited with much in terest. If it should prove to be a prac ticable method, it probably will be used extensively in the future in securing accu rate knowledge of the remaining tracts of unknown Central New Guinea. In this connection it is worthy of note that just across the border, in Dutch New Guinea, large modern aeroplanes are being used in a preliminary examination of that hitherto unknown territory.