Giant British Airboat

to Visit Suva Imperial Airways 'Centaurus' Due in January

HP HE huge Imperial Airways flying-boat Gentaurus, which is now on its way to Sydney on a survey flight over the England-Australia-N.Z. airmail route, will visit Suva, Fiji, early in January.

Due in Sydney, via Darwin, Townsville and Brisbane, on December 24, she will fly across the Tasman to Auckland on the 27th. Then, under present arrange ments, she will visit the main N.Z. cities and depart for Fiji, arriving in Suva during the first week in January.

There is a possibility that the Cen taurus will go on to Honolulu, Hawaii, before returning to Auckland and Sydney where she is due on January 12.

There has been speculation in Aus tralia, N.Z. and Fiji as to whether the proposed visit to Suva presages the early inauguration of a British Trans-Pacific air service.

The Gentaurus will return to England at the end of January, having covered over 30,000 miles. She will carry a crew of five, under the command of Captain J.

W. Burgess and including First Officer C. F. Elder and Wireless Operator Dan gerfield (who were participants in the Atlantic test flights), and Flight Engin eer F. Murray. On board also is a New Zealand newspaperman, Ivan Palmer, who will be remembered in Western Pacific as one of Dwight Long’s compan ions in the yacht Idle Hour from Auck land to Singapore, via Sydney, Papua, etc.

Dr. Alex. Zur-werra, who recently re turned from an expedition to tropical South America, sailed from Sydney for Rabaul. New Guinea bv Neptuna on December 15. He will tropical dis ease in the Western Pacific Islands.