Engine Trouble Brings Huge Ship Down Tokyo, Nov. 13.
Forced down by engine trouble. a huge long-distance aeroplane which started a 60-hour test flight at Kisarazu this morning landed at its starting point this afternoon, after being in the air 9 hours and 39 minutes and covering about 1.800 kin. The plane. popularly called "Wings of the Century." made four circuits of a 400 kin. triangular course before it was forced down.
Loaded with 3.000 litres of petrol, food rations for three days, bottles of champagne. grape juice and water, the big craft which claims a cruising range of 12000 kin. or enough to fly round the world with three stops, took off at 6 a.m. aiming at a new aviation record.
Although equipped with a robot pilot the plane was piloted by Maj Y. Fujita and Sgt-Maj. Takahashi. Completion of the flight would have kept the craft in the air until 8 p.m. on Monday.—Domei
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.