FUTURE WONDER AIRLINERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 121, 24 May 1941, Page 1 (Supplement)

FUTURE WONDER AIRLINERS

MAKING aviation history, the world's largest commercial transports—new giant, fourengined landplanes for substratosphere flight from New York to Europe in 10 hours— will soon be constructed by Lockheed Aircraft Corporation of Burbank, California. This was learned, states our American correspondent, when the Office of Production Management in Washington announced that it had issued a certificate to the Burbank plant for the planes, which will be propelled by new secret engines more powerful than those used in any military or commercial aircraft. With the exception of the huge B-19 bomber now awaiting test flights by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Santa Monica, California, the new ships, weighing 43 tons and carrying between 50 and SO passengers, will be the largest a -.d most powerful landplanes in the werld, it was pointed out.

Lockheed officials declined comment, other than to sav: "Such matters are entirelv in the hands of the Office of Production Management and we have no authority to discuss them. Everything pertaining to the development and construction of commercial aircraft is subject to the jurisdiction of the commercial aircraft Priorities Board, a division of the O.P.M. This company will continue to follow whatever policies are set forth by the Priorities Board." Depending on national defence requirements, it is possible the first units of the fleet mav be delivered by the end of this vear, it was learned from Washington sources. So carefully has the secret been guarded that only now has it been learned that in June, 1940, Pan-American Airways placed a 7,500,000-dollar order for nine of the mammoth transports. According to information given national defence officials, the ships will have a top speed of more than 300 miles an hour, with a cruising speed of more than 250. With these ships, it was pointed out, passengers could take off from V?w York City, fly to Europe, spend four hours there and be back

in the United States within a single day! The fact that nine planes were ordered by Pan-American has led to speculation whether the company is planning daily roundtrip service between New York and Lisbon. The transports are designed to fly at heights above 20.000 ft. it was disclosed.

At the present time thriceweekly round trips are being made by Pan-American Clippers between La Guardia Field in Xew York and Lisbon. Portugal, and a report was issued in Xew York, saving: "Perhaps by mid-summer ' PanAmerican Airways expects to operate a round trip daiiv, Sunday excepted, with addition of three improved 43-ton Clippers to be built by Boeing at Seattle, Washington.

"Their delivery will swell the air line's fleet to six flying boats on the trans-Atlantic run. The British Government has taken title to three of six of these 1.000,000-dollar craft ordered by the airline, which will be Nos. 3, 5 and G in order of production. The first, delivered to British representative., on April 8 at La Guardia Field is being held for instructions at the air line'j st apian-? hangar."