AIR SERVICE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 159, 2 April 1937, Page 2

AIR SERVICE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

Flying-boats of Future FACTORS OF SPEED AND SAFETY With the recommendation by the Appropriation Committee in Washington that a £150,000 subsidy be granted for an air mail between Great Britain and the United States, a trans-Atlantic air service lias become a problem of the immediate future. What of the type and size of machine to be used on such a service? While it is believed possible to construct before 1950 an aeroplane weighing more than 400 tons aud carrying 1000 passengers, it is doubtful, for economic reasons, whether a ship of this Ijjjge size would be practical even then. It is, however, fair to assume that air-liners of the immediate future will be much larger than those of the present, for the efficiency of an air transport a.s a useful load-carrier depends not only upon its payload, capacity in units of weight but as much on the volume of space available for passengers and load. Furthermore, the larger transport would not require a noticeable increase in flying crew, radio or navigation equipment over a ship of smaller size. Factor of Safety. The large flying-boat has almost, the same performance as the land transport of similar size and power, but the flying-boat has important operating advantages in the possibility of utilising large harbours for terminals. The fly-ing-boat is also generally safer for such as the proposed Atlantic service. This would be evident not only in the remote chance of a forced landing in midocean but also in the circumstances which might more frequently arise of encountering fog or extremely bad weather, which would make the landing at the terminal inadvisable. It has been found, for example, that, for every one square mile of airport area available for land aircraft between Boston and Norfolk on the eastern seaboard of the United States there are about 1000 square miles of protected waters to permit a normal landing of a large flying-boat in any weather. Otie-day Schedule Possible. In considering the speeds of the future trans-Atlantic air-liner it is interesting' to note that at fie present time an operating speed of 175 miles per hour for long-range flying-boats has beeri approached, and in some cases exceeded. This means that the flyingboat is live or six times faster than the record-breaking liners. Experts are confident that it is now possible to produce a flying-boat of some 50 to 60 tons, with a range of 5000 miles at cruising speeds in the neighbourhood of 175 miles, per hour. This would permit of maintaining a service across the North Atlantic without stops on a schedule of less than 24 hours.

Flying-boats of this type would have staterooms, with sleeping accommodation for 80 to 50 passengers. In addition, there would be a dining-room, a igalley, smoking lounge, ample space for luggage, and comfortable quarters for the crew. Some five to six such fly-ing-boats would be sufficient to establish a daily service in both directions between the United States and Europe.