BRITAIN IN THE AIR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 102, 2 May 1935, Page 16

BRITAIN IN THE AIR.

FOURTH PLACE ONLY.

AMERICAN PREPONDERANCE.

THINGS GETTING WORSE.

(By Special Air Mail.)

LONDON, April G

Britain, focal point of an Empire covering a quarter of the world and owning the world's greatest mercantile sea fleet, comes a bad fourth in her commercial air fleet. America owns more than eight times as many civil aeroplanes as Britain. Here are the latest Air Ministry figures of the great Powers' civil aircraft:— T'.S.A 025.-) . France 1 S4:t Oermnny 1 «!>'•> Britalu ._ 1000 The figures give the position twelve months ago. New figures, soon to be issued, will probably show that Britain is now even worse off. German factories are now turning out one new aeroplane bomber, or sporting type, daily. Only about 400 of Britain's total represents privately owned aircraft. America has five times as many. These pilots constitute a first-class emergency reserve of flyers who are easily and quickly trained to fly higher [lowered military types.

Here are other comparisons: Britain's Empire and Continental machines Hew 2,334,000 miles in 1933-4. American commercial machines covered 20,535,003 miles in 10 months last year. Britain has only six radio direction finding stations. America has more than 1000. Britain's best illuminated sector of the Empire airway eastwards has radio and light beacons between 300 and -100 miles apart. America has radio beacons every l."i miles on her airline system.

II is the same story about flying boats. On the Mediterranean sector of the Empire routes, British boats cruise at 100 m.p.h. Head winds often reduce their average speed to 70 m.p.h. on long Mights. Pan-American Airways are already Hying the first of a new fleet of ISS m.p.h. 32-passenger giant living boats. Jt was designed in 1033.