CIVIL AVIATION

Auckland Star, Volume LXXV, Issue 58, 9 March 1944, Page 4

CIVIL AVIATION

POST-WAR TRAVEL

FAST LONG-DISTANCE TRIPS

The prospect of a journey by air between New Zealand and England being undertaken in under three days was discussed in an interview by Viscount Knollys, chairman of British Overseas Airway Corporation, who arrived in Auckland yesterday from Sydney by Tasman Empire Airways' flying boat. Lord Knollys, soldier and airman of the last war, in which he won the D.P.C., and, until last May, Governor of Bermuda, is an influential authority on post-war air developments. Since he became chairman of 8.0.A.C. he has interested himself in discussing airways problems on the spot, and to this end he has travelled some 60,000 miles to date.

Discussing future plans for faster air communication, Lord Knollys satd that British aircraft now in course of construction would have a cruising speed of about 230 and 240 miles an hour. They would have a long range, and would be capable of doing the longest known stretch of flying without coming down. Flying at night as well as during the day, such planes would be able to make the journey from London to Sydney in 2i days, taking another six hours to complete the journey to New Zealand.

Travelling by such planes would be expensive, said Lord Knollys, and a slower service would have to be developed. There was a verv good type of aircraft suitable for this purpose, and, even though stops would be made overnight, it would be possible to make the journey to England in five or six days.

"One day in the future, but not immediately," continued Lord Knollys, "we have great hopes of what jet propulsion will do. For certain military purposes it seems to be a very promising thing, but it has to.be developed. When that is done it will be a tremendous advantage from the point of view of air transport."

Ownership of Services

__ Reference was made by Lord Knollys to statements regarding ownership of civil aviation, which he said had been wrongly attributed to him in Australia. He had not said that a Government should not own a post-war aviation service. What he said was that aviation could be subject to Government supervision or control, as in England, or it could be entirely private, or a public service with the co-operation of the best elements of private enterprise. Lord Knollys added that he did not judge what was the best for any country in regard to controlling its civil aviation. The pact between Australia and New Zealand, he said, was a valuable and interesting contribution to this question.

Lord Knollys, who is accompanied "by Mr. A. C. Campbell-Orde, C.8.E., A.F.C., assistant to the chairman of the 8.0.A.C., and an expert on technical matters, will have only a brief stay in New Zealand. He will be the guest of the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, and will meet the Prime Minister, Mr. Fraser, with whom he is already acquainted. Lord Knollys recalled that he visited New Zealand on a short holiday in 1925, and had an enjoyable time fishing at Taupo. He had promised himself a longer holiday in the Dominion, but pressure of business prevented him from extending his present visit beyond a few days.