AVIATION.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17224, 15 August 1921, Page 6

AVIATION.

AUSTRALIAN SEAPLANE 4 LAUNCHED. •Br Cable—Pkm A«oci»tfo»—CopyrifSW (Anatolian and N.Z. Cable AMOCiatloi.) ;f LONDON, August 12. . Mrs Hughes launched the first Betplan© of the Australian naval aircraft unit at the Fairey aviation works, ~ Humble, Southampton. Mr Hughes ■■> was not present. Major-General J. B. B. Seely, M.P., presided, the company including MajorGeneral Sir William Brancker, director ■;;■ of several aircraft companies, «no ; Major-General Sir Frederick Sykes, ? f Controller-General of Civil Avia* tion, and Major Coates. General Seely, in proposing the success of the Commonwealth, coupled with the name of Mrs Hughes, eulogised Mr Hughes's f far-sightedness in instituting a Commonwealth Air Force, also for services ;; rendered at the Imperial Conference. .' '; Mr Hughes and other Dominion Pre- ;"J miers had stood at Mr Eloyd Geofßl'e right hand in the recent critical period. Th 0 Hon. J. M. Hunter, Agent-Gen-eral for Queensland, commented on the> Australian Government's foresight i» , ; organising a squadron of seaplanes ,whil» the other Dominions were only thinking about theni. The six seaplanes will he ready* in September. Each will be capable of carrying three people besides bombs,.., . machine-guns, ammunition, and wire- ' less apparatus. They will, have • , f speed of 110 miles an hour, and wul be fitted with 80110-Royce engines^ Aftej» being launched M>e (!eapl«ne successfully flew over Southampton /y carrying four passengers, including. Major-General Seely and Mrs Coates. AEROPLANE BUILDINO IN AUSTRALIA. MELBOURNE, August 13. The Air Board announces that, as » result of experiments, it has been ascertained that aircraft can bo successfully manufactured in Australia from Australian timbers.