LONG-RANGE FLYING

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22304, 19 January 1938, Page 9

LONG-RANGE FLYING

♦ EXPERIMENTS BY AIR MINISTRY FURTHER PILOTS APPOINTED TO PERSONNEL (ITaTTED PRESS ASSOCIATIO* —COPTB'GHT.. (Received January 18. 2 p.m.) LONDON. January 17. The Air Ministry has appointed Squadron Leader Kellett and Flignt Lieutenants Hogan, Gardner, ana Combe to the personnel longrange development flight. They will shortly go to Cranwell to continue training and practise taking off with heavily-loaded aircraft. The Air Ministry, in a statement on November 25 last, emphasising the importance of long-range aircraft to civil aviation and the Royal Air Force, said: ‘‘The normal evolution of aircraft design in recent years has brought about considerable increases in range and load carrying capacity. It has been decided to continue development work by making use of the existing type of aeroplane. A Vickers Wellesley has been selected for the purpose, and a flight of three aeroplanes of this type will be equipped for investigation and development of the technique of long-range flying in relation to both operational purposes and design of aeroplanes. “Bristol Pegasus engines will be used with variable pitch airscrews. Wing Commander O. R. Gayford will be in command. “It is proposed to make trial flights along the England-Australia route in the spring of 1938. It is intended that one of these flights shall fc. made in connexion with the New South Wales sesquicentenary celebrations.”