LETTERS BY AIR.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16540, 4 June 1919, Page 2

LETTERS BY AIR.

TWOPENCE A MILE FOR FOUR ' ' HUNDRED MILES. ! Both the Grahame-White and the Handloy-Pago companies are pushing forward plans and getting out designs for now commercial aeroplanes (states a Lojidon paper). 'lne inoumea lions in the Handley-muivipie-cxigiiiud tractor biplanes, uiigmaiiy bunt lui' long-uiSLanco nights ovor cueiny turntoiy, will be very sligut, because iliu cuaraeteristics of a Uig war machine are essentially tuoso waiiied in a couiineicial uau—namely, grout length ol : continuous lligut, weight-lilting capacity, big luel space, roominess, and iuc possibility of carrying a second pilot. 'the Hanuxcy-JAige machines are buiit to two sizes, as at preoiwit designed, distinguished as the two-engine anu , louii-cngiiio models. lliey are not uesigncu for "stunts," and no Jrlanu.ej-i'age aeroplane has ever been "iooped" nor ever will be. It j lias been estimated that it is possible 3 to transport loads by theso crait at a j charge of Is per lb per ttOO miles, pro- •_ vided tboy fly reasonably luily loaded. This could be arranged by varying the » number of 'planes to be flown in ac- J cordance witn tue load available. .. iiased on this rate, the following |! scale can he drawn up:— l'or loiters —id per 4oz per 100 C miies. *• For parcels —ljd per lb. i For passengors —2i per mile. i 7 For goods—2s 4d per ton per mile. r. It is calculated that in practice it J would be better policy probably to _ charge a flat rate for lotters and par- 1 eels up to, say, 400 miles, bas&J on an average at the above rates. Letter - ratos might be doubled to enable news- | papers to bo cariiol at a lower rate. Lower rates could bo charged if four- j engine machines were used, as they can carry two and a half times the useful load of the other model, although the , costs are rather less than double. j ' I