AIRSHIP MISSION

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 83, 9 April 1928, Page 9

AIRSHIP MISSION

BASES AND ROUTES THE EMPIRE SURVEY PEOSPECTS FOR FUTURE (From "The Post's" Representative.) LONDON, 19th January. The Airship Mission has now returned to England after visiting Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and India, and it is reported that the results achiev. Ed are satisfactory. A considerable amount of spade work in connection with the proposed Empire airship routes has been accomplished, and throughout the Dominions the Mission found great interest displayed in the proposals, especially among business and commer* cial concerns. The possibilities of the airship, in providing quicker communication with the Mother Country, were in nearly every case fully appreciated. At every centre visited (the journal '' Flight repor.ts) the Mission w.as well received and given every possible assistance in its work. The Mission has placed before each Dominion a full statement regarding the main requirements for the operation of the routes. A choice of sites for airship bases has been drawn up in India and Ceylon, Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, and South Africa, while certain intermediate bases have been considered in the Cocos Islands and on the east and west coasts of Africa. As a result of a survey of these bases, a provisional skeleton -of the chief commercial airship routes has been prepared. These routes are much the same as those put forward at: the Imperial Conference in 1926, but it is pointed out that the actual programme for the future necessarily depends upon the results of the exhaustive series of trials which will have first to be carried out at Home with the new airships. These routes may briefly be outlined as follows:—England to Canada (Ottawa) or Newfoundland; England to Capetown, either via Cairo, Aden, nnd east coast of Africa, or via the west coast of Africa; England to India and Ceylon, via Cairo, and Karachi; and England to Australia and New Zealand, by way of India ?.ncl Cocos Is j lands or by way of Afrie.i. ROUTES TO DOMINIONS. The first demonstration nervices, which will follow the conclusion of the Homo trials, will, it is planned, be made across the Atlantic to Canada, and to South Africu—although trial flights along the India route may be possible— owing to the fact that a base in each Dominion is available. In this way, provided these first nights are successful, it will be possible to obtain some valuable and practical experience in the operation of airships under sub-Arctic, tomperate, sub-tropical, and tropical conditions. Subsequently, theso services having proved successful, longer and more ambitious services will be undertaken—-to Australia and New Zealand. While the obvious commercial route to the Antipodes would be via India, Ceylon, and Cocos Islands, it is expected that the first flights will be via Capetown. The reason for this is because it would not be possible to fly along this route without intermediate bases for re-fuelling, and also on account of adverse winds from Ceylon. On tho othor hand, the other route to Australia would be bettor, with bases at Cairo and Capetown, and with a favourable wind available. On the Homeward journey, however, the India route becomes a more reasonable proposition, the adverse winds over the Ceylon section then being favourable. In any easo, the first demonstration flights must be arranged to follow the routes which entail tho least possible expenditure on ground bases, etc., after which, should sufficient support be forthcoming from business concerns in the Dominions, the whole question of airship routes will be further developed. WORK ACCOMPLISHED. In South Africa four possible bases were surveyed near Capetown and four others near Durban, but the final selection has yet to be made by tho South African Government. Good work was also accomplished in Australia, Tasmania, and Now Zealand. Possible sites were surveyed at Perth, Freemantle, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney; at Eurnie, Dovonport, Hobart, and Launceston in Tasmania; at Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington, in New Zealand. At the request of Mr. Bruce, the Mission supplied special information regarding Empire airships to many of the chambers of commerce and business concerns in Australia —and, in fact, were kept so busy meeting the^demands for information that tho stay in Australia was extended considerably over the time originally planned. In New Zealand, also, interest was very keen (the article concludes), so much so that the Premier convened a joint session of the Houses of Parliament at which Group-Captain Fellowes gave .an address of some length, on the subject, numerous questions on various details being discussed and answered immediately after. Reports were preesnted to both tho Australian and the New Zealand Governments, and each has put in hand the preliminary meteorological organisation.