COLOSSAL AIRCRAFT DEAL.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16841, 22 May 1920, Page 7

COLOSSAL AIRCRAFT DEAL.

! £100,000,000 PURCHASE. ! traoit ocr orrs cotinzsrosnxxr.) ; LONDON. March 16. A combination of wealthy city financiers, under the name of tho AircraftDisposal Company. Ltd., arc the purchaser* of the whole of the Royal Air Force surplus aircraft, tho figure involved being stated as approximating £'100,030,0GU. The well-known aircraft manufacturers, Hundley Page. Ltd., of Cricklewood. are members ot the syndicate, and will act as technical advisers and sole agents for the disposal of the material. . Handlev Page, Ltd., say that the sale by the liritisii Government of all its surplus aircraft, material, engines, spares', and accessories, was completed early m March. The purchase was notmade directly from the Government, but tho Aircraft Disposal Company, 'Lid., has now taken oyer the whole ot the benefits and liabilities of the purchasers. Tho company comprises wido* ppread British interests, and has been specially formed to carry on the whole of the work previously undertaken by the Ministry of Munitions in disposing of the surplus stocks of heavier than air machines and equipment. Offices have been taken in Kingsway, and the organisation will remove there from the present Disposal Board offices. I lie whole of the storage, organisation, ana management of the large aircraft depots all over the country will pass into the hands of the company. The Disposai Board since the armistice have sold larna numbers of machines, but their potential sales have been very much handicapped by their limitation to sellin cv machines as they stand. Many or the machines for disposal are quite new, but in order to ensure that every machine, engine, accessory, and_ spare, is in perfect condition, detailed inspection will take place before delivery, and certificates of air-worthiness will be given for all machines sold. • Rather more than 10,000 aeroplanes and 35,000 engines have passed into the hands of the purchasers. These, gether with spare parts, hangars, stores, and equipment, are scattered over the country at dumps, aerodromes, and in stores, generally in charge simply of a guard furnished by the R.A.F. Tho aerodromes will be cleared as quickly as possible, so that the ground may be handed back to the Government for disposal. Competent members of tho staff of the Disposal Board, including those of the expert-, technical and clerical departments, will pass over to tho Aircraft Disposal Board, and the work, of clearing, assembling, classify- ■ ing, testing, and so on, will give employment to a greater number than already engaged. It is looped to find !, work for a number of trained airmen !' forthwith, and opportunities should be ; offering for many skilled mechanics. j The importance of the deal, writes a correspondent in the London Press, ' is that 18,000 aeroplanes, and 35,000 , ' new ae.ro engines, now lying idle in storage, are to be utilised in every part of the world. Aeroplanes of all types are included in the deal, from, th© ' single-seater war-fighting machine, to ; the huge twin-engined bomber. There is a demand for British craft everywhere, and part of the plan of tho i syndicate is to equip certain foreign 1 countries with a complete air force. _It ' is also anticipated that the distribution ! of British aircraft throughout the world will result in repeat orders, which will | undoubtedly be placed with British airi craft manufacturers. It is understood that before the end of the year a network of inland aerial routes will be in operation, and that the taking over simultaneously of all the surplus aerodromes and buildings is indicative of a boom in civilian aviation ; in Britain. A firm of hotel proprietors have an- [ nounced their intention to cater for i Continental passengers arriving by air : at the Waddon Aerodrome, Croydon, : where in the near future the London ' Air Customs will be stationed. It is ' their intention to build eventually_ a ' first-class hotel, but in the meantime i thev are making use of the officers' ) quarters at the Waddon Aerodrome. ( The development of the successful . experiments in wireless telephony re--1 cently carried out on the London-Pans. " air route is being proceeded with.' Sug- * gestions arp now afoot for the production of apparatus to enable passengers, on aeroplanes to communicate with' ' their homes or business houses. Tele- " phone messages have already been picked up from a Handley Page "machine at I distances of 120 and 125 miles, and at 100 miles the operator's voice was parL ticularly clear and distinct.