Honolulu, Jan. 19.
OMicial elapsed time for the mass fight of eighteen Navy bombers from San Diego to Hawaii, which ended here early this morning "without incident," was twenty hours and thirty minutes, it was announced to-day-The flight set a new Navy record for the trip, which was covered at an average of between 125 and 130 miles per hour. The accomplishment was considered particularly noteworthy in view of stiff head winds which the planes bucked for the first one-third of their course, and the ice which later formed on wing surfaces.
Cmdr. J. W. Reeves, Executive Officer here, commenting on the speed of the transfer in connection with possible emergency needs, said: "The thing to do is to have the planes here first, and not to be forced to fly them down."
The flight, hailed as the eatest ass flight in history be "d the ack of special preparations, is the first of many planned for this year, all of them intended to transfer bombers or "flying fortresses" to the Hawaii base, America's foremost Pacific defense outpost.
No Japanese newspapermen covered the arrival of the flight this morning. Asked whether Japanese had been permitted to enter the Navy Yard for the purpose of covering the event, authorities said they had received: no—applications.—United Press,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.