1935

UNLUCKY AGAIN

Tom Campbell Black and his co-pilot Mr. J. G. McArthur had a second slice of ill-luck in connection with their Cape Town-and-back record attempt. At the same time, they must be congratulated on a very fortunate escape. It will be remembered that in the middle of last month they set out in Mr. Cyril Nicholson's D.H. Comet Boomerang, but were forced to return after experiencing a shortage of oil due to a curious error in the making of the dip-sticks of the oil tanks. Last Saturday they made a renewed attempt. Weather reports proving favourable, they left Hatfield aerodrome at 4 p.m., the Comet making a remarkably short and clean takeoff in spite of its heavy fuel load and an almost entire absence of wind. They flew non-stop to Cairo, which they reached in 11 hr. 9 min.—bettering their previous time—then refuelled before taking off for Kisumu, Kenya. They were last seen flying over Wadi Haifa, then nothing more was heard of them for twenty hours, and a good deal of anxiety was felt. It was not relieved until they suddenly and surprisingly appeared at 2 p.m. on Monday at Kubushia, near Khartoum, riding camels. It was then learned that the Comet had crashed and caught fire in the desert 100 miles north of Khartoum, and that the crew had escaped by parachute.