FLYING IN LUXURY

Dominion, Volume 25, Issue 94, 15 January 1932, Page 11

FLYING IN LUXURY

Great British Flying Boat BATHS AND RESTAURANT Luxurious accommodation is provided in Britain’s giant flying-boat which is at present being built at the works, of Messrs. Vickers Ltd.,. England. It will carry 40 passengers, and detachable bunks arc also fitted, giving sleeping accommodation for 20. Baths and a restaurant are included in the equipment.

The hull is being built of stainless steel, and the spar structure of the wing is of the same material. With

the exception of a portion in fabric, the wing is Also of metal., It is expected that the flying-boat will be 14 m.p.h. faster than Germany’s famous Do.X. The wing-span of 174 feet is 17 feet greater than that of the Dornier, although the length—lo 7 feet—is 24 feet less than that of the German giant. . - Britain’s masterpiece will have a height of 32 feet, while the Do. X’s height is 29ft. 6in. Her Rolls-Royce engines will be fitted in three pairs. The normal range of the craft will be 700 miles, with a maximum of 1300. It will have a “ceiling” of 11,000 feet, and the rate of climb will be\7so feet a minute. The lauding speed will be 72.5 miles an hour. . For a six-hour flight the flying-boat will carry a paying load of 10,0001 b. The petrol capacity will be 2250 gallons. The flying-boat was designed by Mr. R. J. Mitchell, C.8.E., the young man who designed the high-spged craft which won the Schneider Trophy competitions for Britain on the last three occasions.