Snakes On A Plane!

[Dave Homewood]

WITH FOUR SNAKES IN MID-AIR

AN AEROPLANE PILOT'S ADVENTURE

While flying a Moth aeroplane over the mountainous and treacherous country in New Guinea a pilot was horrified to see a writhing snake in the cockpit. He was returning from Salamoa to Wau when he felt something brush against his coat. Turning round, he saw a large snake working its way towards the controls. It was
too late to return to Salamoa, and the ground was far too mountainous to allow a forced landing, so he picked up a spanner and made a swing at the reptile's head.

He hit it and replaced his spanner with a sigh of relief, only to find that there were three more snakes on the other side of him.

The rest of the journey was a nightmare, as the country is the most difficult to fly over, full of air pockets, and needing constant vigilance and concentration.

The pilot, however, had to fly with one hand on the controls and the other keeping, the snakes at bay with a spanner.

The North Western Courier (Narrabri), Thu 22 Mar 1934

[Antonio]

Shudder !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[davidd]

That is an absolute shocker!

[Dave Homewood]

SNAKE IN PLANE

American Pilot's Adventure In Australia

RESOURCEFULNESS TESTED

Rec. 2 p.m. SYDNEY, this day.

An American pilot at an undisclosed operational base was bitten by a poisonous snake while flying at 3000 feet. He became so ill that he was forced to make a landing on a clay pan, where he remained all night. He treated his legs with hot mudpacks and next day cut two saplings so that he could operate the plane's foot pedals with his hands, and managed to fly his machine back to his base. How the snake got into the plane is a mystery.

AUCKLAND STAR, 25 JULY 1942