BY AIR TO ENGLAND

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 55, 2 September 1927, Page 6

BY AIR TO ENGLAND

FIRST TRIP IN 1930

CONFIDENT PROPHECY

(By telegraph.) (Special to "The Eveninj Post")

AUCKLAND, This Day. An announcement was made yesterday by Group-captain P. F. M. Fellowes, Director of Airship Development and head of the Imperial Airways Commission to Now Zealand that the first trip they could make to New Zealand would be in 1930, and that in eight or nine .years there would be regular com-t mercial services. "You may say that as we appear so confident of the success of airship development, why did we not develop the question before?" he said, The question has a clear answer by reason of the fact that after the war the authorities were not really clear as to how air transport would develop. Finance had also to be considered. It was true the British Government endeavoured to interest commerce in the problem, but with little success. Eventually in 1923 the Conservative Government formulated a scheme, but that was considerably altered by the Labour Government. All this time scientists were investigating and they laid down a number of schemes dealing with safety. KEYSTONE OP SUCCESS. "It is not too much to say that the meteorological organisation is the keystone of the commercial success of the airship," Captain Fellowes continued, "and. without reports every six hours an airship could not fly over routes commercially. The English trials would take place in 1928, and over the Egypt-India route in the following year. After the Indian trials he hoped that commercial interests would come forward. "Ships to cover all the Imperial air routes would cost between £.4,000,000 and £5,000,000," he said. "The journey would be shortened to Australia and New Zealand by two-thirds, and one would be able to write to a friend in England and receive a reply in a month. When the Canadian route was developed it would be shorter still. The cost of trips would, after the development of the movement, fall below firstclass steamship fares. There would be 20 airships for use over all commercial routes, which would consist of weekly services to' Africa, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, tri-weekly to Egypt, and bi-weekly to India." TRIP TO HAMILTON. A non-stop flight from Mangere to Hamilton and back was made this afternoon by Group Captain Fellowes, in continuation of the search for sites suitable for an airship base. ■ Captain J. L. Findlay was pilot of the Bristol fighter, which he had brought up from the South for the mission's use. The airline distance between the starting point and Hamilton, is 35 miles, and the journey there-and back was' made in about 100 minutes. Captain Fellowes stated this evening that the air was decidedly "bumpy." The clouds were considerable, but as they were at a height of 2000 feet the visivility was fairly good. Hamilton was mostly in sunlight. ' Captain Fellowes 'remarked that the country appeared to him quite'unusual. He .noticed particularly the greenness of the pasture lands, the large areas of scrub on the plain about-Hamilton, and the great inundations .lower down the river. Hamilton had spread over such a wide area that by European standards an aviator would estimate its population at about 40,000. Captain Findlay piloted the machine beautifully. It is not expected that any flying will be done to-morrowj.. -' ■ ' . ' Captain Fellowes intends- "to' make more investigations on the ground, and may visit Hamilton. Flight Lieutenant Nixon, the misaon's expert on topographical matters, has been suffering from influenza, and was unable to go put yesterday. He is reported to be improving. The mission may possibly leave for the South on Saturday.