AERIAL NAVIGATION.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16404, 26 December 1918, Page 7

AERIAL NAVIGATION.

AN INTERNATIONAL AIR BOARD. IMPORTANT STATEMENT BY LORD WEIR. , 'Australian and N.Z Cable Association.) . {Received December 2otli, 5.5 p.m.) LONDON, December 21. Lord Weir, who has just resigned the presidency of the Air Board, speaking at Manchester, said that the best interests of civilisation would not be served b£ keeping civil aviation as a Government monopoly. The Government had drafted a scheme for an International Air Board, which would bo submitted to the Allies.-- If it was approved, an international air conference would be held in a few months to organise .international flying. Within five years navigation by aeroplane in bad weather - ought to bo as easy as steering a ship in similar circumstances. "Already," ho said, "we have aeroplanes able to climb 10,000 feet, travel a hundred miles an hour, make a nonstop journey of 1200 miles, and alight on the sea and rise again with a full load. A new and tremendous industry is j about to bo created out of the lloyal Air Force, which has been trained and j developed in war, and will put the les- ! sons it has learned into practice for purI poses of peace and civilisation. Tho Air Force, which had 285 officers and 1853 men in August 1914, has now 30,000 officers, . 200,000 men, and! 30,000 women and boys. Tho chief problems for the immediate future are severe navigational training, tho creation of an cnergetio meteorological service, the adoption of improved wireless telegraphy and telephony, the adoption of a first-class system of day and night landing-places, and aerodromes. These things will cost a lot of money, but will consummate and justify the work of the men who, have died." NORTH POLE EXPEDITION. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright) (.Australian and N.Z. Lab.© Association.) NEW YORK, Doeember 23. The New York Aero Club announced to-night that an expedition to the North Pole would probably be maae next June by aeroplane. It is proposed that the expedition will be headed by li'ear-Admiral Robert Peary and Captain Bartlett. A LONG CRUISE. ZEPPELINS AT JUTLAND BATTLE.

(Heuter's Telegrams.)

LONDON, December 21. "The Times" correspondent writes that a British airship recently cruisea for sixty-one hours without a stop. It is no longer a secret that the Germans owed their escape at Jutland to Zeppelins, which also enabled the flotilla bombarding Scarborough to escape. An airship is already planned with a capacity of ten million cubic feet, or four times as large as the biggest Zeppelin. AMERICAN LADY'S FLIGHT. I (Reuter, via Amerioa.) LONDON, December 21. J Katherine Stinson, an American aviatrix, lias announced that, she will fly from Europe to America. She is the first of her sex to fly over London. She accomplished the feat on Friday. GERMAN ENDEAVOURS TO ' SECURE THE AIR MASTERY. GREAT SECRETTREPAEATIONS. (Australian and N.Z. Cablf Association.) (Received December 25th, 5 p.m.) LONDON, December 22. The "Daily Express" Copenhagen correspondent states that Germany is making enormous socret preparations to secure the air mastery after the war. Factories used for the manufacture of war materials in all parts of'the country are being converted into aircraft factories. Gigantic hangars and aerodromes are boing inaugurated in all the principal towns. The schome provides for como circuits centring in Berlin, and expanding later into foreign services to the principal capitals, even to Now York. Gigantic aeroplanes are being designed, the largest costing noarlv £100,000. Prominent German business men are now 6aying Germany's future lies in the air.