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Page 37
[title] From Amsterdam to Batavia and Back
[text box bolded and outlined] Mr. Black's account of his aerial European tour holds a great deal of interest. Almost 20,000 miles covered in 183 hours flying time!
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PROBABLY the most remarkable long distance flight since aviation came into being was Amsterdam to Batavia and return by Mr. van Lear Black, American newspaper owner. During his stay in Europe he chartered a K. L. M. air liner of Fokker F. VIIA type fitted with a Jupiter Series IV engine. In this machine he carried out flights over the greater part of Europe totalling 15,625 miles and on several occasions non-stop flights of 1,000 miles. The machine was normal commercial aircraft and when not in use by Mr. van Lear Black flew on the regular service of the Royal Dutch Air Lines.
The journey from Amsterdam to Batavia occupied 16 days of which one was spent at Constantinople where trouble was experienced with the authorities and two at Bagdad. When the machine landed safely at Tjililitan Aerodrome near Batavia the journey had occupied 86 hours, 27 minutes flying time and the whole outward journey had been completed in 133 days.
It is interesting to compare this trip with the flight undertaken over the same route by Mr. van der Hoop in 1924 with a Dokker F. VII machine, when 127 1/4 hours were required and 22 days were occupied. The American World flyers in 1924 flew in the opposite direction and their journey from Bangkok to Budapest only occupied as great a time as that taken by the K. L. M. Jupiter machine to cover the complete distance.
When it is remembered that the organization for the American flight and also Mr. van der Hoop's venture occupied over a year in the arrangement of details and the organization for Mr. va Lear Black's trip took only a fortnight, the comparison is rendered the more interesting. During the whole journey to Batavia an average speed of 105 1/2 miles an hour were maintained. This can be considered a very fine performance when it is remembered that the machine was an ordinary commercial aircraft with five people on board and weighing 7,938 pounds.
Mr. van Lear Black spent a week in Java and on the sixth of July decided to commence upon the return journey. The return flight followed almost the same route although the machine was delayed at Bangkok for one day owing to the fact that it was impossible for a landing to be made at Rangoon, the next stop, as races were held on the flying ground. Between Calcutta and Allahabad an average speech of 128 miles an hour was reached and on the next day a non-stop flight to Karachi, a distance of 1,065 miles, was completed in 8 1/2 hours. Both of the outward and on the homeward journey difficulties were encountered owing to the West Monscon, but this was not allowed to interfere with the regularity of the trip. However, after Bunder Abbas severe dust storm were met which caused greater trouble and Mr. van lear Black had to wait at Basra for four days until the gale, causing tremendous dust storms, had subsided. On the 20th of July, after landing at Bagdad, Alleppo was reached. On the 21st, the flight was continued to Constantinople, whilst on the following day the longest single day trip was made. This was to Nurnberg, a distance of 1,367 miles in 13 1/2 hours. On the 22nd of July, in accordance with arrangements made some time before, the machine landed at Schihol Airport at 4:28 p.m. and here they were accorded a magnificent reception at which several of the Dutch Ministers, Sir Sefton Brancker and the U.S. Minister at the Dutch Court attended and paid tribute to the pilots, the engineer and the passengers. The Queen of Holland afterwards decorated the fliers with the Order of Orange Nassau.
HOMEWARD FLIGHT
Actual Flying
July Time Mileage
Batvia-Medan .......6 9.05 932
Medan-Singor .......7 4.30 429
Singor-Bangkok .....8 5.0 536
Bangkok-Rangoon ....10 5.45 490
Rangoon-Calcutta ...11 7.55 840
Calcutta-Allahabad .12 4.0 478
Allahabad-Karachi ..13 8.35 *1054
Karachi-Bunder
Abbas ............. 14 8.10 733
Bunder Abbas-Bunder
Dilam ..............15 8.35 *733
Bunder Dilam-Basra .16 2.0 126
Basra-Baghdad ......20 3.50 329
Baghdad-Aleppo .....20 5.10 496
Aleppo-Constantinople 21 7.0 666
Constantinople-Budapest 22 8.50 913
Budapest-Nurnberg ..22 4.15 459
Nurnberg-Amsterdam .23 4.20 378
TOTAL 14 days 97 Hrs. 9,592 mi.
* Circuitously
From the statement given above it will be seen that the total distance flown was 19,184 miles in a total flying time of 183 hours, 27 minutes and at an average speed of 105 miles per hour.
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Seventeen Men on Its Wings!
