VISION OF THE FUTURE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 157, 29 March 1930, Page 29

VISION OF THE FUTURE

FLYING THE ATLANTIC BY EASY. STAGES

Giant seadromes dotted all the way across the Atlantic so that trans-Atlan-tic aeroplanes can land and refuel in mid-ocean are a practical possibility of the not distant future. This huge engineering scheme for Unking up a safe airway between England and America, which has long been a dream of scientists, is now so far advanced in its practical stages that work may be commenced on the first seadrome of the

chain early this summer. To the “Sunday Chronicle” recently, ' Mr. Edward R. Armstrong, the famous American engineer and inventor, who is the originator of the scheme, outlined his remarkable plans for opening up a vast new ocean air-route linking up with all parts of the world. “According to present scheduled plans the trans-Atlantic system will be definitely in operation early in 1932 in an experimental way.” he said. “Assuming international co-operation in developing and operating the airway services, daily trans-Atlantic flights will be made by American, Canadian, British, German, Dutch, Italian, and Scandinavian ’planes. “They will all carry passengers at rates competitive with those now charged on the high speed steamship lines. With a daily service at reasonable rates the collective airway organisations could transport in each direc- • tion over the Ocean from 500 to 1000 passengers in addition to huge quantities of mail and express.” Ag landing places for these ’planes, Mr. Armstrong said, a series of eight seadromes are to be built and anchored In the Atlantic. Each ’drome will have a deck of 80 feet above sea-level, 1100 feet in length, 340 feet wide in the central section, with extensions on either side of a 180 ft. central runway to provide hangars; shops, stores, restaurants and hotels. About 7000 tons of steel and iron will make up the deck‘system, with 7000 tons in the substructure or buoyancy system. Below the deck landing, at the stern, will be the service and boat deck. In addition to the lifeboat equipment provided, large sea sleds will be available for patrol and rescue . work between seadromes, should It be impossible to perform this service with the flying equipment due to extreme weather hazards. . “Each seadrome will be a unit in itself with hotel accommodation, power plants, radio stations and weather stations.” Mr. Armstrong added, “The hotel accommodation will be planned to serve both, the operating personnel of the seadrome, and the flying personnel of the airway who may be on duty at that point, and in addition an equal number of transient guests. “An important feature of. the seadrome operation is the' supply service, by means of which all the operating materials and supplies will be delivered to the ’dromes by ships specially adapted for this service. Gasoline and oil will be delivered by tankers to supply tanks in the buoyancy units below sealevel at the. stern of the seadromes. “The supply ships are to be protected from waves .when necessary by air breakwaters’which effectively destroy wave motion by diffusing compressed air from perforated pipes. A safety zone about 250 feet wide and 600 feet long will be maintained when servicing operations are going on, should it be necessary.

“By the use of this system supplies can be transferred from ship to ’drome under virtually all weather conditions met with at sea. The same system can be used to refuel large flying boats which would be too large to alight on the deck Or be hoisted to it by the derrick equipment “While the seadrome system is normally designed for amphibian type aeroplanes, capable of landing on the water or on the land, as the conditions may require, it is quite feasible to use multi-motored land machines to land on the deck, or to refuel and service the largest flying boats in the artificial harbours provided by the compressed air system. M Mr. Armstrong said that the cable system to anchor the first seadrome, which would be in the Atlantic midway between New York and Bermuda, Is 17,900 feet in length, made up of six sections, varying in diameter at the surface from 3Jin. to 2|in. at the bottom of the ocean.

The total weight of the cable system is 325 tons, with an ultimate strength in the’surface of 2,300,0001 b. “The cable system will withstand wave forces on the seadrome brought about by the largest waves on record, coupled with a wind velocity exceeding 160 miles per hour,” he said. “Because the cables will be entirely submerged they will be subject to but little corrosion. . , . - “As additional protection galvanised steel wires are used, so that the makeis anticipate a useful life in excess of twenty years.on seadrome service. To "avoid the hazard of storm, fogs, wind, ice, and sleet the trans-Atlantic route has been located somewhat south of that normally followed by the steamship lines. By keeping south of the 40th parallel good flying weather will prevail most of the year with fog almost entirely "absent. preliminary to undertaking the full trans-Atlantic programme one full-sized station is being constructed for test and operation on an experimental airway between New York and Bermuda. Through the use of these seadromes ocean flying can be made as safe and inexpensive as any other form of ocean travel. The seadromes themselves will be absolutely secure and available as havens of .refuge under all conditions that will be met with at sea. At’ no time on a trans-Atlantic flight would an aeroplane be more than two hundred miles from a landing field and refuelling station. Radio telephonic communication will be maintained between seadromes and ’planes. Should a ’plane be forced down on the water speedy rescue craft will be available at each station to give help. If bad weather threatens warnings will be broadcast and ’planes will remain on the ’dromes safe from the. elements. ■ Ice formation,on ’planes or stations will be impossible at any season The foiite is entirely out of the field ice and iceberg drift range, with the result that less than 10 per cent, of the cyclonic storms which hit the more northerly shipping lines reach it. The trans-Atlantic series of seadromes, Mr. Armstrong added, will in effect be. an international air highway to all-nations. ■ ; Their international character is assured because the seadromes do not come ufider the registration laws of any nation. They, therefore, can render. international service without complications or special treaties.