EMPIRE AIRSHIP MISSION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 19258, 13 March 1928, Page 6

EMPIRE AIRSHIP MISSION.

ACCOUNT OF ITS WORK. PROSPECTS FOR THE FUTURE. 'FROM OUR OVCS COKRESPOSDEST.) LONDON, January 25. The Airship Mission has now retimed to England after visiting Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and India, and it is reported that the results achieved are satisfactory. A considerable amount of spade work in connexion with the proposed Empire airship routes has been accomplished, and throughout "the Dominions the Mission found" great interest displayed in the proposals, especially among business and commercial concerns. The possibilities of the airship in providing <l nicker communication with the .Mother Country were in nearly every case fully appreciated. At every centre visited (the journal '•Flight" reports) the Mission was well re cH-ed and given every possible assistance in its work. The Mission lias placed before each Dominion a full statement regarding the main requirements lor the operation of the routes. A choice of sites for airship bases has been drawn up in India and Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and South Africa, while certain intermediate bases have been considered in the CVcos Islands and on the cast and west coasts of Africa. As a result of a survey of these bases, a provisional skeleton of the chief commercial airship routes has been prepared. These routes are much Ihe same as those put forward at the Imperial Conference in 1926, but it is pointed out that the actual programme for the future necessarily depends upon tho results of the exhaustive series of trials which will have first to be carried out at home with the new airships. These routes may briefly he outlined as follows:—England to Canada (Ottawa) or Newfoundland; England lo Cape Town, either via Cairo, Aden, and cast coast of Africa, or via the west coast, of Africa; England to India and Ceylon via Cairo and Karachi; and England to Australia and New Zealand by way of India and Cocos Islands, or by way of Africa.

Routes to the Dominions. Tin first demonstration services, nliicli will follow the conclusion of the home trials, will, it is planned, ba matlo across the Atlantic to Canada, and to South Africa—although trial flights along t s he India route may be possible—owing to the fact' that a base in each' Dominion is available. In this way, provided these first flights are successful, it will Tie possible to obtain some valuable and practical experience in the operation of airships under subArctic, temperate, sub-tropical, ami tropical conditions. Subsequently, these services having proved successful, longer and more ambitious services wil' be undertaken —to Australia and New Zealand. While the obvious commercial route to the Antipodes woulci be via India, Ceylon, and. Cocos Islands, it is expected that the first flights will be via Cape Town. The reason for this is because it would not be possible to fly along this route without intermediate bases for re-fuelling, and also on account '! adverse winds from Ceylon. On tho other hand, the other route to Australia would be better, with bases' at Cairo and Cape Town, and with a favourable wind available. On tho homeward journey, however, the India route becomes a more reasonable proposition, the adverse winds' over the Ceylon section then beinp- favourable.

In any case, the first demonstration flights must bo arranged to follow tlw routes which entail the' least possible expenditure on ground bases, etc., after which, should sufficient support be forthcoming from business concerns in the Dominions, the whole Question of airship routes will be further developed.

Work Accomplished. In South Africa four possible bases were surveyed near Cape Town and four others near Durban, but the final selection has yet to be made by the South African Government. Good work was r.lso accomplished if Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. Possible sites were surveyed at Perth, Fremantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney , at Burnie, Devonport. Hobart, and Launceston, in Tasmania; at Auckland. Christehureh, and Wellington, in New Zealand. At tlie request of Mr Bruce, the mission supplied special information regarding Empire Airships to many of the chambers of commerce and business concerns in AustraliaI—and, 1 —and, in fact, were kept so busy meeting the dejnands for information that the stay in Australia was extended considerably over the time originally planned.

in New Zealand, also, interest, was very keen (the article concludes), so much so that the Premier convened a joint session of the Houses of Parliament, at which Group-Captain Fellowes gave ;in address of some length, on the subject, numerous questions on various details being discussed and answered immediately after. Reports were presented to both the Australian and the New Zealand Gorernrrients, and each has put in hand the preliminary meteorological oraanisation.