Quick Trip by Plane

From Wau To

Melbourne

GUINEA Airways Limited have been making aviation history with their new Lockheed Electra monoplane.

It was decided in October that a party of the Company’s directors should visit New Guinea; and as time is an important factor with business men, it was arranged that the Lockheed should fly down to Aus tralia and carry them back to the goldfield.

When this was known, a number of Morobe residents decided that they would take this opportunity of making a quick visit to Australia. The fact that the Mel bourne Cup was about to be run probably influenced them.

The Lockheed left Wau on October 28 with nine passengers in charge of Pilot “Tommy” O’Dea and stayed that night at Port Moresby; flew the next day to Bris bane; and the following day from Bisbane to Melbourne. The 200 miles-per-hour machine put up a good record and demon strated the practicability of a passenger service between New Guinea and the east ern states of Australia.

The monoplane left Sydney on its return trip on November 12 in charge of Pilot O’Dea, carrying a party of Guinea Airways directors, Mr. R. W. Robson (Editor of the Pacific Islands Monthly), and four of the passengers who came down to Australia by her.

The Lockheed is scheduled to leave New

Guinea again about November 23 to fly south to Sydney on the return trip with the directors of Guinea Airways; and will fly back to New Guinea immediately there after, leaving Sydney about November 27.

unexplored country in the north-west of Papua, part of which was Visited by the Hides expedition in 1935.

The party consists of the two white officers, 27 native carriers, and members of the Papuan Armed Constabulary.

On May 25, the patrol advised that they had gone up the Bamu River, in the West ern Division, and were on the slopes of Leonard Murray Mountain, with full sup plies for the whole party until the end of August. It was hoped to eke out the stock with supplies procured from friendly na tives, so that it would last until the end of September, or even October.

Mr. Champion previously was with the Karius patrol, and Mr. Adamson, a Patrol Officer, is a tried bushman. It is not known where they will break through, but it is expected that it will be on the Purari River.